A photograph allegedly showing Thomas Markle Sr having sex with a girl who appears to be underage is among material handed to police investigating child abuse allegations against Meghan Markle’s estranged father.
The image is said to be an old 35mm negative showing a bearded man believed to be Mr Markle on a bed with a young Asian girl. Another photograph reportedly shows the same man, partly obscured by the girl’s arm.
The material was submitted to police in Cebu City, in the Philippines, by Mr Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr, who said it came from four boxes left at his father’s former home.
Mr Markle Jr, 60, reportedly spent more than nine hours formally handing over the material. He claims it includes “hundreds, if not thousands” of obscene images, although the allegations have not been proved.
Met seeks letter sent to Meghan Markle
The development came as the Metropolitan Police tried to trace a letter sent in 2018 which allegedly contained claims about Mr Markle. Meghan said the letter was later shared with her and that she was assured the allegations were being investigated.
In a statement, the Duchess of Sussex said the allegations were “troubling and disturbing” and explained her decision to prevent her father from having contact with her and Prince Harry’s children.
She said: “I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed.”
Meghan added: “I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them.”
The Met said officers were making internal inquiries to establish whether the letter had been received by its Royalty and Specialist Protection Command and passed on to Meghan.
A spokesman said: “We are aware of media reports that officers from the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command were involved in the passing on of a letter in 2018.
“We are undertaking inquiries internally in an effort to confirm this.”
Police sources stressed that the Met had not investigated Mr Markle in 2018 or since. Meghan and Harry said they still had a copy of the letter and offered to provide it if officers were unable to locate their own records.
Thomas Markle denies allegations
Mr Markle, 82, has strongly denied the accusations. He said: “I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I’m being accused of.”
He added: “It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of. This is bulls***. It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”
Mr Markle also denied downloading pornography on to his computers, saying: “Never. Never. Never. I have never done that.” He claimed the computers had not been in his possession since he left Mexico in January 2025 and moved to the Philippines.
Mr Markle Jr said he had seen disturbing thumbnail images on a computer, along with videos and books he believed contained child abuse material. He said he had contacted the FBI and the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children before taking the material to police in Cebu.
Authorities in the Philippines confirmed that an investigation was under way. The FBI said it was aware of the allegations and would support Philippine authorities as appropriate, while investigating any related alleged violations of US law.
Meghan and her father became estranged before her marriage to Prince Harry in May 2018. The relationship deteriorated after Mr Markle posed for paparazzi photographs before the wedding and was unable to walk his daughter down the aisle after suffering two heart attacks.
