The Royal Family has indicated that allegations involving Meghan’s estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, are a matter for the Sussex household, as police in the Philippines investigate claims concerning child sexual abuse images.
The response came amid speculation over whether the allegations might prompt King Charles and Queen Camilla, or the Prince and Princess of Wales, to reach out to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
A statement attributed to the Royal Family said: “This is a matter for the Sussex household.”
Mr Markle Sr is being investigated in the Philippines after his son, Thomas Markle Jr, reportedly found what were described as “hundreds of child sex abuse images” at his father’s home in Cebu. The allegations have not been proved, and Mr Markle Sr vehemently denies them.
Claims about Meghan’s knowledge of allegations
Meghan said she was shocked and “deeply distressed” by the claims, and indicated that she first became aware of disturbing allegations about her father in 2018 through a letter shared with her by the Metropolitan Police.
The Metropolitan Police said it received a letter relating to Mr Markle Sr in January 2019. The letter was sent by Roslyn Loveless, his first wife, who died in 2024, and accused him of being a serial abuser of children.
The timing and contents of the correspondence have prompted questions about Meghan’s public comments about her father. In the couple’s Netflix series, released in 2022, she described herself as having been “a Daddy’s Girl my whole life”.
Harry also wrote in his memoir, Spare, that Meghan continued to call her father “Daddy” into her thirties. He described Mr Markle Sr as “complicated” and said Meghan “loved him, worried about him – his health, his habits – and often relied upon him.”
It has been reported that Meghan only definitively cut contact with her father late last year, when he was seriously ill in hospital in the Philippines after having a leg amputated below the knee.
A sealed letter from Meghan was then hand-delivered to his hospital bed. It is believed to have said that she knew he had abused young girls and would not allow him to meet his grandchildren. The contents have not been independently established in the material available, while Mr Markle Sr denies the allegations.
The revelations have revived debate over whether the wider Royal Family should offer support to Harry and Meghan. However, readers’ reactions to coverage of the allegations reportedly showed continued hostility towards the Sussexes over their public criticism of the Royal Family.
That criticism included Meghan’s allegations of racism during her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and Harry’s attacks on William and Catherine in his 2023 memoir.
The latest comments from the Palace suggest that senior royals intend to keep their distance from the dispute, leaving Harry and Meghan to deal with the allegations and their family consequences privately.
