Thomas Markle has admitted paying for sex during visits to the Philippines while denying allegations that he had sex with underage girls or possessed child-abuse images.
The 82-year-old father of the Duchess of Sussex said he had travelled to the country at least twice while single and “slept with prostitutes”. He added: “I like Asian women but that is not a crime.”
Mr Markle is being investigated by authorities in Cebu after his son, Tom Markle Jnr, alleged that child-abuse images were found on computers and phones left at his father’s former home. Philippine officers reportedly removed four boxes of evidence from the property.
Mr Markle strongly denied the claims and said he would co-operate with investigators, including taking a lie-detector test. “I have never had sex with anyone under the age of 18,” he said.
He also denied appearing in a reported 35mm photograph showing a bearded man resembling him having sex with a young Asian girl, saying: “I have never been in a photograph like that.”
Mr Markle said any illegal images found on his devices had been planted to damage his reputation. He claimed he had not had possession of his computer or phones for almost two years after they were transported from Mexico to the Philippines.
His son has said he discovered the material while searching storage boxes for a phone. He told reporters that he saw “vile” images on one device and a computer screensaver containing “hundreds” of sexual pictures of children.
Tom Jnr said he had supported and cared for his father for years but had reported him because he felt he had no alternative. The FBI has said it is aware of the allegations and will investigate any possible violations of US law.
The case has also raised questions about the handling of information by the Metropolitan Police. The force confirmed it received a letter in 2019 containing claims of alleged offending outside the UK by Mr Markle, but passed the details to the Sussexes rather than other law-enforcement agencies.
Meghan said last week that she had been made aware of “troubling and disturbing” allegations and expressed “deep distress” at claims she described as “more sickening than one could ever imagine”. She said her decision to prevent her father having contact with her children had been made “for one reason – to protect them”.
The duchess initially said she learned of the accusations in 2018. A spokesperson later said she may have been mistaken by several months, while the Metropolitan Police said the information had been passed on in 2019.
Mr Markle said he had not been told about the letter and argued that he should have been given an opportunity to respond. “I will do whatever it takes to clear my name,” he said.
He also disputed claims about books found among his possessions, including one about the depiction of young women in Hollywood films, saying they were historical works rather than pornography.
Mr Markle moved to Cebu City from Mexico last year but is now in a nursing facility in Florida, where he is learning to walk with a prosthetic limb after having his left leg amputated in December.
His daughter Samantha Markle, who is his main caregiver, said she believed the material could have been planted because Tom Jnr had possession of the boxes containing the devices. She also said her father was physically and mentally fragile.
Questions over Meghan’s estrangement from her father
Samantha has questioned why Meghan’s estrangement from her father has been linked to the allegations when Prince Harry previously attributed the breakdown in the family relationship to events surrounding the couple’s wedding.
In a 2022 documentary, Harry said he had “shouldered” responsibility for the rift after Mr Markle collaborated with a photographer to stage pictures before the wedding. Samantha said that explanation appeared inconsistent with Meghan’s later statement that contact had been stopped to protect her children.
People close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have said Meghan could not publicly repeat the allegations because they had been reported to police and doing so might have affected an investigation.
