Meghan Markle’s estranged father faces shocking child abuse images allegations
The Duchess of Sussex’s long-running family estrangement has taken another turn after her half-brother reportedly contacted authorities in the Philippines and United States over alleged illegal material discovered among their father’s possessions.
Meghan Markle’s estranged father Thomas Markle Sr, is reportedly facing a police investigation in the Philippines after his son alleged he discovered child sexual abuse images among family possessions and computer files.
The Duchess of Sussex, 45, has had no contact with Thomas, 82, since 2018, when their relationship deteriorated before her wedding to Prince Harry, 42.
According to a report by The Sun on Thursday (22.10.26) night, her half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, 60, has submitted a sworn statement to police in the Philippine city of Cebu after allegedly discovering the material while sorting through his father’s belongings.
The allegations have not been proven, and no charges against Thomas Sr were identified in the report.
Speaking to The Sun about his decision to contact the authorities, Thomas Jr said: “When I found this material I was horrified and I had no option but to report my dad.”
He added: “I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years – but that stops now.”
Thomas Jr continued: “I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.”
According to The Sun, Thomas Jr alleged that he discovered hundreds, potentially thousands, of illegal images among possessions stored in four large boxes at his father’s home in Cebu.
The material was reportedly mixed with family photographs, home movies, books, mobile phones and computer equipment.
Thomas Jr, who has helped care for his father since Thomas Sr suffered a serious stroke in 2022, said he was deeply disturbed by what he claimed to have found.
He reportedly told a friend: “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.”
Thomas Jr alleged he initially discovered suspicious printed material before asking a local IT specialist to help him access computer hard drives.
He told The Sun: “His desktop was full of row-upon-row of thumbnail pictures linking to the most sickening child abuse imaginable. The worst of the worst.”
The newspaper reported Thomas Jr contacted US authorities in July, including the FBI, a national child protection reporting service and police in Pennsylvania, where his father had previously been living.
Philippine police were reportedly preparing to examine or seize the alleged evidence, while the FBI was said to be considering whether to open an investigation in the United States.
Those reported investigative steps have not been independently confirmed.
The allegations have emerged amid continuing scrutiny of Meghan’s relationship with her father, a former Hollywood lighting director whose television credits include General Hospital and Married... with Children.
Their estrangement dates to the period before Meghan’s marriage to Harry at Windsor Castle in May 2018, when Thomas Sr arranged photographs with a paparazzi photographer near his home in Mexico.
Thomas Sr subsequently missed the wedding after suffering serious health problems, including heart attacks.
King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, accompanied Meghan for part of her walk down the aisle.
Meghan later wrote to her father asking him to stop speaking publicly about their relationship.
Extracts from the letter were subsequently published by the Mail on Sunday, prompting a privacy lawsuit that Meghan won.
Harry also addressed the breakdown of the relationship in his 2023 memoir, Spare, describing the effect of the estrangement on his wife.
Thomas Sr has never met Harry or the couple’s children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
Meghan remains close to her mother, Doria Ragland, 70, who separated from Thomas Sr when Meghan was a child.
The latest allegations also come as Meghan and Harry adjust to their return to Britain after six years based in California.
The couple moved back to the UK with their children in August, with Archie and Lilibet enrolling at a British school. They have retained their home in Montecito and are not returning to their former roles as working members of the royal family.
Thomas Sr, who underwent a leg amputation in 2025 after complications involving a blood clot, has reportedly returned to the United States for further medical treatment.
The Sun reported he is currently receiving care in Florida, while the allegations concerning material allegedly found among his possessions in the Philippines remain under investigation.
