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Meghan Markle Says She Kept Father From Children Over Abuse Allegations
ReMeghan Markle Says She Kept Father From Children Over Abuse Allegations
Meghan Markle says she barred her father, Thomas Markle Sr., from contact with her children to protect them after a 2018 letter raised allegations against him, which her half-brother now says involve child sexual abuse material.
Meghan Markle says she has kept her children, Archie and Lilibet, away from her father, Thomas Markle Sr., to protect them from what she describes as disturbing allegations against him. The Duchess of Sussex addressed the matter in a statement shared with Fox News Digital after The Sun reported on Thursday that Thomas Markle Sr. had been accused of possessing child sexual abuse material by his son, Thomas Markle Jr., Meghan's half-brother.
In her statement, Meghan said she was « deeply distressed » by the reports and that her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed. She said a letter was sent in 2018 to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection that made « troubling and disturbing allegations » against her father, and that she was later shown the letter and given assurances that the claims were being investigated. She argued that her distance from her father and her decision not to allow him contact with her children were made for one reason: « to protect them. » She added that she had trusted authorities to do the same for other families.
Meghan shares Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, with Prince Harry. According to the reporting, Thomas Markle Sr. has never met the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's children. Meghan said that « the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine » and that her hope is for justice to be served and for the safety of innocent children to remain the priority.
According to The Sun, Thomas Markle Jr. said he discovered suspected material in four large boxes at his father's home in Cebu, Philippines, containing « hundreds, if not thousands » of images, along with videos of young girls who were no older than 10 or 11 engaged in sexual acts. He also said he found four images of nude girls, one of which appeared to have been taken at Thomas Sr.'s former home in Rosarito, Mexico. He told the outlet that he reported the material to the FBI hotline and the Pennsylvania State Police, and that the FBI had confirmed receipt of his allegations and was set to launch its own probe.
« What I saw made me sick to the stomach » Thomas Markle Jr. told The Sun, adding that he had « no option but to report my dad. » He said he had cared for his father, who is 82 and recovering from a stroke in 2022, for several years. « I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years, but that stops now, » he said, adding that he would not speak to his father again unless called to give evidence.
Thomas Markle Sr. denied the allegations in comments to the Daily Mail. « I'm shocked, I'm hurt and I'm very upset that my son is making these accusations against me, » he said, calling them « just a bunch of lies. » London's Metropolitan Police said it is not investigating Thomas Markle Sr. but is conducting internal inquiries into how the 2018 letter was handled, according to The Independent.
The FBI said in a statement to Fox News Digital that it is aware of the allegations and will support Philippine authorities as appropriate, and that it would also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of U.S. law. Philippine Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Ty confirmed to Reuters on Friday that a task force investigating human trafficking and online child sexual abuse in Cebu is currently investigating the matter.
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