Meghan Markle’s estranged father was filmed receiving a sealed letter from her in hospital after being asked to sign documents authorising the encounter to be recorded, amid an unconfirmed report that the message contained allegations about his treatment of young girls.
Thomas Markle was recovering in the Philippines after having his left leg amputated when a lawyer and the president of the hospital arrived without warning. They told him the footage would be sent to Meghan’s office as proof that the letter had been delivered.
The report about the letter claimed Meghan wrote that she knew her father had abused young girls and that he would never meet his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet. The contents have not been independently confirmed, and Mr Markle said he could no longer remember what the letter contained.
The encounter took place last December at the University of Cebu Medical Centre, where Mr Markle was recovering after doctors discovered a large blood clot. He had also previously suffered two heart attacks and a stroke.
Caroline Graham, who had travelled to Cebu at Mr Markle’s request, said he had only just managed to sit upright on the edge of his bed when the two women entered the room. His leg was still covered by a bloodied bandage.
The lawyer carried legal documents and told Mr Markle he needed to sign paperwork permitting the meeting to be filmed. He agreed to the recording and asked Ms Graham to remain in the room.
“If you are going to video this, then I would like Caroline to video it too,” he told the lawyer.
The hospital president then handed Mr Markle the sealed envelope while a phone camera was pointed towards him. She told him it had been given to her to deliver personally by his daughter and emphasised that it was sealed.
After the women left, Mr Markle became distressed and asked for the envelope to be moved out of his sight. He reportedly spent four hours worrying about opening it before saying: “I better get this over with.”
He read the letter in silence, shook his head several times and returned it to its envelope. He then asked for it to be placed in the wardrobe, and did not discuss its contents with Ms Graham.
Thomas Markle denies abuse allegations
Mr Markle is now living in a rehabilitation centre in Florida after returning to the United States in May for further medical treatment. He has since been diagnosed with dementia, a condition he authorised the Daily Mail to report.
Speaking about the letter, he said: “I remember getting the letter but I don’t remember anything else about it. I’m happy for people to see the video. I have nothing to hide.”
Asked about the reported allegation, he said: “I’m not a paedophile. I’ve never done anything bad to a child. Never.”
He added: “If Meghan says that’s what she wrote, then she’s probably right. I was very sick. I have memory issues. I know there was a letter, but I don’t remember what it said.”
The letter’s current whereabouts are unknown. Mr Markle left most of his possessions in the Philippines and had intended to return after learning to walk with a prosthetic limb.
The dispute over the letter follows separate allegations by Mr Markle’s son, Tom Jr, who claimed to have found child-sex images on computers, a phone and hard drives at his father’s home in Cebu. Thomas Markle has vehemently denied the allegations, describing them as “terrible lies”.
He said the computers had been out of his control for almost two years after being boxed up in Mexico and placed on a container ship. Tom Jr maintains his father is in denial and says he reported the material because he considered it horrific.
Authorities in the Philippines have launched an enquiry, while the FBI in the United States is expected to follow up. Mr Markle has said he will co-operate fully and has offered to take a lie-detector test.
