En esta noticia
The Duchess of Sussex, the former Meghan Markle, said Friday she was warned eight years ago of “troubling and disturbing allegations” against her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr. He is now accused of having child sexual abuse images at his former home in the Philippines, which he denies.
The accusation came Thursday from Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr. He told the British tabloid The Sun that he found the images at the house in Cebu and reported his father to authorities. Markle Sr., 82, has not been charged with any crime.
The Philippine Department of Justice confirmed Friday that the matter is under investigation. Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla said national police had taken Markle Sr.’s computer for a forensic review, with results expected in about a week.
In her statement, Meghan said the warning she received is why she kept her distance from her father. It is also why she never allowed him contact with her children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
What was Meghan Markle warned about her father in 2018?
A spokesman for the couple said Meghan learned of a letter in the summer of 2018, after her wedding to Prince Harry. It had been sent to London’s Metropolitan Police and its royal protection unit, and was later shared with her.
People close to the Sussexes say she couldn’t go public then. The claims were unproven, so repeating them could have opened her up to a lawsuit, and she was advised that speaking out might jeopardize any investigation.
Meghan said she was assured the allegations were being looked into and trusted that authorities were protecting other families, too. She called what has now emerged “more sickening than one could ever imagine” and said she hopes “justice will be fully served.”
The Met is not investigating Markle Sr., according to reports in Britain. Officers are also reviewing internally whether the protection unit did, in fact, pass the letter on to the duchess.
What do Meghan Markle’s father and half-siblings say about the child sexual abuse images?
Markle Sr. called the accusations “sick lies” in a statement to the Daily Mail. He said they were the worst thing anyone could say about him, that he would welcome an investigation and that he hadn’t talked to his son in months.
Markle Jr., 60, told The Sun he felt he had no choice but to go to police and won’t speak to his father again unless he’s called to testify. He said he also alerted the FBI, which has not commented publicly.
Samantha Markle, Meghan’s half-sister and their father’s primary caregiver, told the Daily Mail the allegations have “no merit.” She said the computers involved had been kept in a basement, out of his reach for two years, and suggested someone could have set him up.