Meghan Markle's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., has publicly begged for her forgiveness after nine years of siding with their father, Thomas Markle Sr., who now faces allegations of keeping child sexual abuse images at his home.
Thomas Jr., 60, claims he discovered a stash of such images while caring for his ailing father in the Philippines for four years. He says he handed four boxes of evidence to police in Cebu City. Thomas Sr. has denied possessing the images.
Public Apology and U-Turn
In an interview with The Sun on Sunday, the window fitter said: "I now know I have been protecting the wrong person for the past nine years. Having seen what I have seen, I believe the man I've been defending and caring for is a monster."
He added: "I now know exactly why you don't talk to him anymore and why you won't let him meet Harry or his grandchildren. And I'm ashamed that I spent years taking his side when you fell out with him."
Acknowledging that they are "not close," he said he can "still remember holding" Meghan as a baby and "looking after [her]" when she was small. "So please accept my apology and know that I wish you and your family all the best for the future," he concluded.
Meghan's Response
Following the revelations, Meghan issued a statement explaining that she broke off contact with her father to "protect" her children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, whom Thomas Sr. has never met.
She said on Friday: "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."
Meghan said she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations, with her thoughts "with any children who may have been harmed." She described the accusations as "more sickening than one could ever imagine" and expressed her "sincerest hope" that "justice will be fully served," with the "priority" remaining the "safety and protection of innocent children."
Investigation and Police Response
Her last known contact with Thomas Sr. was a letter sent last December after his leg amputation. He had told the press he did not want to die distanced from his daughter. He is believed to be living in a rehabilitation centre in Florida.
The Metropolitan Police has not previously investigated, nor is it currently investigating, Thomas Sr. However, Undersecretary Nicholas Ty of the Philippines Department of Justice has said "the matter is currently being investigated" by an anti-human trafficking and child sexual exploitation force in Cebu.
Earlier today, the Met confirmed it received a letter in January 2019 including claims of "alleged offending outside the UK." This was passed to Meghan and Harry "for their awareness," with Meghan's statement saying she was "given assurance that these were being investigated." The Met said "details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies," adding: "The MPS is reviewing the handling of this matter in 2019 and considering whether a referral to the IOPC is necessary to review our approach."
