Thomas Markle Sr, the father of the Duchess of Sussex, has admitted paying for sex in the Philippines while denying allegations that he kept child sexual abuse images.
Mr Markle said he had “never had sex with anyone under the age of 18” and told the Mail on Sunday that, when he was single, he had travelled to the Philippines at least twice and “slept with prostitutes”.
“I like Asian women but that is not a crime,” he said, adding that he was willing to speak to anyone investigating the claims.
The allegations about the images were made by Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, who reportedly told Philippine police he had found photographs and videos at their father’s former home. He is said to have claimed the material was mixed in with family mementos.
Mr Markle Jr also reportedly contacted FBI investigators in the United States in July. Authorities in the Philippines have said they are investigating the allegations.
Mr Markle Sr denied any involvement and said he would welcome a forensic examination of his computer.
“If there is anything bad on there it was put there by someone else,” he told the newspaper. His eldest daughter, Samantha Markle, also defended him, saying: “I believe this is a set-up.”
The claims come amid renewed scrutiny of how allegations concerning Mr Markle Sr were handled by the Metropolitan Police. The force has confirmed that it passed a letter containing claims of alleged offending outside the UK to Meghan and Prince Harry, but did not share details with other law enforcement agencies.
The Met said it received the letter in 2019 and was reviewing its handling of the matter, including whether it should be referred to the police watchdog.
Meghan said on Friday that she became aware of “disturbing allegations” about her father in 2018. She said she had been shown a letter sent to Scotland Yard making “troubling” claims and had been assured they were being investigated.
A spokesperson for the Duchess said that, if police records confirmed the letter was reviewed in 2019, that should be treated as the accurate reference point for when it was received and shared with her. The spokesperson said Meghan may have been mistaken by a few months because of the passage of time.
Mr Markle Sr became estranged from Meghan before her 2018 wedding after he was caught staging paparazzi photographs. He did not attend the ceremony, where the King walked Meghan down the aisle.
Mr Markle Sr is learning to walk again at a nursing facility in Florida after having his leg amputated during life-saving surgery in 2025. He moved to the Philippines that year after suffering a series of strokes.
