Thomas Markle Sr, the father of the Duchess of Sussex, is being investigated over alleged child sexual abuse images reportedly found among boxes linked to his home in the Philippines, after his son reported the discovery to police and US authorities.
Thomas Markle Jr, 60, told investigators he had found “hundreds” of images in four large boxes in Cebu over the summer. He has alleged that the material included a 15-minute video involving girls who appeared to be younger than 11, as well as still photographs of scantily clad children.
The claims have not been proved, and no allegation has been made against Mr Markle Sr in court. Filipino police have launched an investigation and are preparing to seize the material.
Mr Markle Jr said he came across the boxes while searching for a mobile phone for his Filipino girlfriend. He claimed that one image showed a laptop with a room in the background which he recognised as being in his father’s former home in Mexico.
He reported the alleged discovery on July 10 to the FBI hotline, the US-based National Centre for Exploited and Missing Children and state police in Pennsylvania, where his father had been living.
Family dispute over Thomas Markle investigation
His sister Samantha Markle, 61, has rejected the allegations and accused him of fabricating the story for financial gain. She said the computers had been packed in Mexico, transported to the Philippines and kept in storage before being taken to her brother’s home.
“There is no proof my dad downloaded any images,” she said. “Those computers were out of his possession for two years. That leaves a lot of room for tampering.”
Samantha, who described herself as her father’s main carer, said: “There is no merit in these disgusting allegations whatsoever and my brother is disgusting for making them up. He wants to destroy our dad. Shame on him.”
She also claimed that her brother had first raised the allegations after financial support from their father had stopped. “He has used dad as a cash cow for years and once the money stopped he made up the most outrageous lies he could to try and make money from the media,” she said.
Samantha insisted that her father had no access to the computers while he was receiving medical care. “Dad was in a rehabilitation facility and did not have access to those computers,” she said.
Thomas Markle Sr, 82, returned to the United States after suffering a stroke and a blood clot which resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee last December. Samantha said he had also suffered several heart attacks and recently needed another stent after tests showed his heart was functioning at 30 per cent efficiency.
“Dad has severe physical and cognitive issues and is too frail and sick to defend himself,” she said. “My brother needs money. That is what this is all about.”
She further accused Thomas Jr of having a long-running grievance against their father and referred to a previous claim involving alleged drug use and sex workers in Thailand, which she described as another story invented for money.
“Tom has a history of lying about dad,” she said. “He lies to get money. I think this is just revenge.”
Meghan Markle’s estrangement from her father
Thomas Markle Sr became estranged from Meghan in 2018, shortly before her wedding to Prince Harry, after suffering two heart attacks and being unable to attend the ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
He has never met Meghan and Harry’s children, Archie and Lilibet. Meghan has not commented on the allegations.
The family dispute has intensified as Mr Markle Sr’s health has deteriorated. Thomas Jr moved from Oregon to live next door to his father in Rosarito, Mexico, after the stroke in 2022, and the pair moved to the Philippines at the beginning of 2025 for what was described as a fresh start.
Mr Markle Sr later returned to the US for treatment and to be fitted with a prosthetic leg. Samantha said she blamed her brother in part for the delay in seeking medical help when their father’s foot began turning blue, which she said ultimately led to the amputation.
She said: “Without any evidence that those images were not put there by someone else because those computers were out of my dad’s possession for a couple of years, I don’t believe that they are his.”
“You can’t accuse someone of being an offender when the alleged tools of the crime have been in other people’s hands,” she added. “There is no way to prove any of this. I believe my dad is innocent.”
