Philippine authorities have launched a criminal investigation into Thomas Markle, the Duchess of Sussex's estranged father, after he was branded a "possible sex offender of the grossest kind" by the country's Interior Minister.
Thomas Markle Snr is at the centre of a police probe after his son, Thomas Markle Jnr, claimed to have found a stash of child sex abuse images at his father's former home in Cebu. Philippine Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla has confirmed that a forensic investigation into the retired lighting director's devices is underway, promising a "definitive picture" within a week.
Forensic Investigation Underway
Speaking out on the allegations, Mr Remulla revealed: "Right now all signs point to a possible sex offender of the grossest kind. We want to be sure before we release the findings."
He confirmed that national police found a "trove of child pornography materials as well as a laptop," adding that authorities will take "appropriate legal actions" if sufficient evidence is found to charge him.
Meghan's Response and Timeline Blunder
The scandal has sent shockwaves around the world, with reports claiming a "deeply distressed" Meghan sent a final, brutal letter to her father last year while he was recovering from a leg amputation. According to the reports, the Duchess wrote to tell him she knows he is an abuser and vowed he will never see his royal grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Meghan's team was forced to issue an urgent clarification this weekend over a timeline blunder regarding when she first learned of the claims. After initially stating she was made aware of the allegations in 2018, a spokesperson for the Duchess stepped in to defend the slip-up, noting that Scotland Yard only received a letter containing the claims in January 2019.
Defending the Duchess, her team insisted she is simply "doing her best" to remember details from over seven years ago without a diary, adding: "It is understandable that she may have been mistaken by a few months."
Met Police Under Fire
The 2019 letter, which sparked the initial concerns, was reportedly written by Mr Markle Snr's late ex-wife, Roslyn Loveless. But the Metropolitan Police are now facing intense fury and a potential probe by a watchdog over their handling of the horrific claims. Scotland Yard admitted they reviewed the letter and passed it to the Sussexes for their awareness, but failed to share the details with other law enforcement agencies.
A friend of the Duchess revealed Meghan is "upset and really frustrated" by the inaction, stating: "Having effectively been told to stay quiet and having been given assurances it would be investigated, it appears nothing was done."
Even Housing Secretary Angela Rayner weighed in on the scandal, calling the Met's decision an "operational issue" while expressing sympathy for the "tremendous amount of intrusion" Meghan has faced.
Thomas Markle Denies Allegations
Thomas Markle Snr has furiously hit back at the allegations, vehemently denying ever possessing the vile material and branding his son's claims "sick lies".
Speaking from a nursing facility in Florida, where he is learning to walk again following life-saving surgery in 2025, he confessed to travelling to the Philippines and sleeping with prostitutes, but insisted: "I like Asian women but that is not a crime. I have never had sex with anyone under the age of 18."
He has welcomed a forensic examination of his computers, saying: "If there is anything bad on there, it was put there by someone else."
