Mexican authorities have raided a storage unit rented by Thomas Markle, the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, as part of an investigation into child pornography allegations that now spans three countries.
Heavily armed officers from the Guardia Nacional, Mexico's national security force, carried out the operation on Saturday afternoon near Mr Markle's former home. They seized a computer and boxes containing thumb drives, magazines, photographs, books and other items from the five feet by ten feet unit.
The area around the facility was cordoned off, and a copy of what appeared to be an official search warrant was posted outside. State officials from Mexico's Baja California regional headquarters reportedly oversaw the raid, which took place three miles from Mr Markle's former home in Rosarito.
Investigation Across Three Countries
Hours before the raid, police in Tijuana told the Express they were set to join FBI agents already probing serious allegations against Mr Markle, 82, involving sexually explicit images and videos of underage girls.
A spokesperson for the border city's municipal force said: "We are ready to co-operate with United States law enforcement and will closely examine all evidence available to us."
Mr Markle, a former film lighting director, lived in Rosarito, about 12 miles south of Tijuana, for 14 years between 2011 and 2025. He moved to Cebu City in the Philippines last year but has recently been recovering from a leg amputation at a medical centre in Lakeland, Florida.
Origin of the Allegations
It was in Cebu, eleven days ago, that Thomas Jr reported his father to local police after allegedly finding a stash of "hundreds if not thousands" of child sex abuse images in four large storage boxes at his home. Many were on a laptop computer which, along with other physical evidence, is being examined by police in the Philippines.
Philippines interior minister Jonvic Remulla declared: "In these cases, where family disputes are mixed up, we have to consider all the angles." He added: "Right now all signs point to a possible sex offender of the grossest kind. We want to be sure before we release the findings. The forensics data will be complete in a week."
Handwriting experts are also examining labels written in pen on some of the material discovered in Cebu, while the FBI has issued a statement saying the Bureau is "aware of the allegations and will provide support, as appropriate, to the Philippine authorities" and will "also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of US law."
Meghan's Response
Nine days ago, the Duchess of Sussex said she was "deeply distressed" by the initial allegations and added: "My thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed." Meghan also revealed she had been handed a letter written by Mr Markle's first wife Roslyn Loveless, who has since died, prior to the birth of her son, by the Metropolitan Police.
The letter made "serious and troubling" accusations about Mr Markle, and Meghan stated that as a result she has never allowed her father to see her and Prince Harry's children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, "for one reason: to protect them."
Retired Los Angeles Police Department Lieutenant Marc Evans, an authority on human trafficking, told the Sunday Express: "I would think any hope of tracking down or identifying youngsters in years-old photos would be next to impossible." He added: "In poorer areas of countries like Mexico, children are sold for sex every day right under the noses of adults in the communities where they live."
