The Duchess of Sussex wants to help the FBI with their investigation into her father, who has been charged with allegedly possessing child sexual abuse images, a source has said.
Thomas Markle Snr, 82, was arrested at his Florida care home on Friday by FBI agents, who escorted Meghan Markle's dad out in handcuffs. He was charged with one count of possession of child pornography. A source close to Meghan has reportedly said she will assist with any probe into her father, whether in the US or elsewhere.
The Duchess's mum Doria Ragland, 70, has reportedly also offered to help the FBI in their investigation.
Co-operation with investigators
The source speaking on Meghan helping investigators, according to the Sunday Times, said: "Absolutely she will. She would very much like to."
Mr Markle Snr was reported to police in the Philippines last month after his son Thomas Markle Jr, Meghan's half brother, claimed he found a collection of child sex abuse images. Meghan's dad had lived in Cebu in the Philippines before recently moving back to the US.
Last week, four boxes of materials allegedly found in his former Philippines home are said to have been handed over to authorities. It is understood they contained computers, phones, hard drives and old video tapes.
Seized items and court appearance
After Mr Markle Snr's arrest in Florida, US Attorney Bill Essayli said FBI agents seized around 78 items. These included "slides, film negatives and books" from a storage unit allegedly rented by Mr Markle, in California, for nearly two decades.
These items are said to include "sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls". He was required to surrender his passport and was released under his own recognizance - a written promise and trust that they will return to court.
Mr Markle Snr has previously denied the allegations calling them "sick lies". He was brought into a 30-minute court hearing on Friday, but no plea was taken.
Legal consequences and upcoming event
Mr Essayli said: "These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law."
Lawyer Spencer Kuvin said Markle Snr could get a maximum 20 years for possessing images, 30 for producing them and 20 for transporting totalling 70 years, if he is convicted.
He added: "If prosecutors can prove Markle participated in creating these images, he could face multiple additional charges and decades in jail. At his age, a conviction could effectively amount to a life sentence. The focus must remain on the young victims who were allegedly exploited."
Meghan and Prince Harry are still due to attend an event about online child safety - the Lost Screen Memorial event - at the European parliament in Brussels, on Tuesday.
The couple will deliver a joint keynote address and it is expected to be the first time the pair will have been seen in public since the Duchess's father was reported to police.
A friend of the couple, speaking to the Sunday Times, said Prince Harry hopes his speech at the event would be understood in the context of Mr Markle Snr's arrest.
The source said: "He will be speaking about child safety. You can read into his speech what you will, and it can be taken in any number of ways."
The Mirror contacted the Duchess of Sussex's office for comment.
