A tense debate about Meghan Markle and her father, Thomas, erupted on Channel 5's Jeremy Vine as two panellists clashed live on air. The discussion focused on Thomas as he faces allegations over being in possession of child abuse images in his home. The Sun reported that his son, Thomas Jr, allegedly found the content in his dad's house in the Philippines and reported it to local authorities. Thomas Sr denies all allegations against him, calling them "sick lies" to the Daily Mail.
Meghan's Statement and the 2019 Letter
Meghan issued a statement regarding her father on Friday, saying she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations and that she had first been made aware of them in a letter from the Met Police in 2019. Discussing the story, Vine spoke about the reports that Meghan had cut off contact with her dad Thomas in a 2025 letter directly given to him in hospital.
Vine said: "Bizarrely, the letter that she sent to him saying you need to seek professional help was handed to him. We could see this when he was in hospital, recovering from a heart attack... So he's had his leg amputated, and he doesn't obviously read the whole thing out loud. How can he? Because it contains evidence of her disgust at him."
Panellists Clash Over Meghan's Actions
Marina Purkiss chimed in: "Can I also say something? Piers Morgan always comes out and says she should have done more in her position. There's an investigation going on. She has trusted the word of the Met Police, who have said, 'We've got this, we'll investigate.'"
Mike Parry interrupted: "There wasn't an investigation going on..." as Marina tried to jump in. Mike continued: "No, there wasn't an investigation going on, but this is the very point." Marina fumed: "But she was told the Met Police would take it from here," as Mike hit back: "And then did you check up with them? How's it going? Not for years."
Defending Meghan on Live TV
The political commentator cut back: "Excuse me. What you do not do is then what she's supposed to do, go on Instagram and say, oh, actually, my dad did this. These are secondhand allegations. It's not for her to investigate. It's for her to entrust the authorities."
Mike retaliated: "If she knows there's a person in the world who has been accused of interfering with children, then in her role as a world figure, she should have done something more than say..." Jeremy jumped in to defend Meghan as he said: "She's got that news from the police. So if it's with the police..."
Mike continued: "She then said they were investigating. She didn't then refer back to it until 2025. When he received that letter, he didn't tell anybody what its contents were; he put it away. And most recently, it said, I can't remember what the contents of the letter said because I was under drugs at the time, having my leg amputated." Jeremy concluded: "This is all so strange, but it is mitigation for Meghan; there's no question."
