Los Angeles [US], October 23 (ANI): Meghan Markle has expressed distress over allegations that her father, Thomas Markle Sr., was in possession of child sexual abuse images, saying her thoughts are with children who may have been harmed and calling for justice and the protection of innocent children, according to E! News.
The Duchess of Sussex issued a statement to E! News on October 23, a day after a report published by The Sun on October 22 cited allegations made by her half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., against their 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,” Meghan said in her statement, according to E! News.
She also referred to a letter sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2018, which was subsequently shared with her.
“It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father,” she added, “and I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” according to E! News.
Meghan, who shares two children with her husband, Prince Harry, said her decision to remain estranged from her father and not allow him to have contact with her children was intended to protect them.
“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,” she said, according to E! News.
The Duchess added that she had trusted the authorities to protect other families as well.
“Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine,” she said, “my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.”
According to The Sun, Thomas Markle Jr., 60, alleged that he found child sexual abuse images stored in boxes at his father's home in the Philippines and reported the matter to authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States.
“When I found this material I was horrified and I had no option but to report my dad,” Thomas Jr. told the publication.
“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 added, according to E! News.
Thomas Markle Sr. has not publicly addressed the allegations. E! News reported that it had reached out to a representative for Thomas Sr., the Philippine National Police Public Information Office and the FBI for comment but had not received a response.
Meghan has been estranged from her father for several years and previously spoke about their fractured relationship during her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
“There was such an obsession with anything in my world, including tracking down my parents, and I did everything I could to protect both of them in that media frenzy,” Meghan told Winfrey.
She said British tabloids had spent more than a year attempting to locate her father, offering people money to obtain his address. “But for over a year, the U.K. tabloids were trying to find my dad, offering people so much money to try to find his address,” she said.
“Once they did, I remember being told, there was a huge headline like, 'We found him' or 'We've got him,'” she continued. “We're talking about someone's father. And from that point, the tabloids, they moved into the apartment next door and across from him, descended on this small town, giving him gifts,” according to E! News.
Meghan's mother is Doria Ragland. Thomas Markle Sr. had previously acknowledged working with paparazzi to stage photographs, a development that further strained his relationship with his daughter.
Reflecting on the events during the interview, Meghan said, “The whole thing brings us to where we are today,” according to E! News.
The latest allegations have brought renewed attention to the long-standing estrangement between Meghan and her father, with the Duchess emphasising that the safety and protection of children must remain the priority. (ANI)
“Deeply distressed”: Meghan Markle reacts to allegations against father Thomas Markle
