Meghan Markle 'deeply distressed' over father's alleged illicit materials involving children
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of sexual abuse and child pornography.
Meghan Markle is "deeply distressed" upon learning of the child pornography allegations against his father, Thomas Markle Sr.
In a statement obtained by international outlets including PEOPLE, the Duchess of Sussex expressed her dismay over the sexual abuse allegations involving her estranged father.
“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,” she said.
“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me. It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” she continued.
She went on to stress that her decision to distance herself from her father was motivated solely by the need to protect her children.
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“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," Meghan said.
Meghan also expressed hope that the investigation would bring justice and ensure the safety of the children.
“I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families,” she said. “Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.”
'Hundreds, if not thousands' of child abuse images
This came after Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Jr., reportedly told the police that he found "hundreds, if not thousands” of child abuse images mixed with "innocent family mementos" stored inside four large boxes in his residence in Cebu, according to The Sun's report. He was looking for the phone of his dad's girlfriend when he discovered the photos.
Per the outlet, Thomas Jr. was left a "shaking wreck" and "disgusted" after the discovery, saying he found a 15-minute video of naked little girls flashed up on the abandoned LG mobile.
He claimed that the victims appeared to be around the age of ten or 11 engaging in provocative acts. There were also photos of "naked and scantily clad girls" of about the same age. He alleged that the images were photos taken of the screen of a Lenovo ThinkPad laptop, which he recognized was in a room in his father’s former home in Rosarito, Mexico.
“What I saw made me sick to the stomach—all this stuff was just dumped on me and I didn’t know what to do," he told one of his friends. “I knew right away it was highly illegal and would land me in jail for a long time if I didn’t get rid of it. I felt betrayed, angry and disgusted—and realised I had to report him.”
He has since reported his father to the FBI, which is opening an investigation, and submitted a sworn statement to local police.
“I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years—but that stops now. I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him," he lamented.
Thomas Sr. has denied the allegations.
"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. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of," the 82-year-old told The Daily Mail.
“This is bulls**t,” he added, per the outlet. “It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”
Authorities, meanwhile, in are investigating Thomas, the justice undersecretary said on Friday.
"Our Anti-Trafficking and Anti-OSAEC (online sexual abuse and exploitation of children) task force in Cebu is currently investigating the matter," Nicholas Ty, justice undersecretary, told Reuters. (with reports from Reuters)
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