The Duchess of Sussex has not spoken to her father, Thomas Markle Sr., since 2018, and the reason for that distance has become clearer over recent days. Meghan confirmed she had not been in contact with him for years after learning of allegations against him in 2018, which she said were communicated to her via a police letter.
Allegations and investigations
It is believed investigations are only just underway now, following accusations that Thomas Markle Sr. had boxes of child sex abuse images at his former home in the Philippines. These boxes of images were allegedly found by Thomas' son, Thomas Markle Jr., in July.
Thomas Markle Sr. has denied the accusations against him, calling them "sick lies". He said in a statement shared with the Daily Mail: "I'm shocked, I'm hurt, and I'm very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I'm being accused of."
Netflix show moment
While Meghan only just revealed that the accusations against her father are why she has not spoken to him for eight years, it seems she has been trying to distance herself from him publicly for a long time. This was seen on her Netflix show "With Love, Meghan".
In one moment on her cooking series, Meghan was called "Meghan Markle" by her actress friend, Mindy Kaling. Meghan responded: "It's so funny, too, that you keep saying 'Meghan Markle'. You know I'm Sussex now."
Meghan's statement
In a statement just days ago, Meghan said she is concerned by the allegations against Thomas Markle Sr. She said: "I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed. In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me."
Her statement continued: "It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated. 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. I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families."
Investigations into Thomas Markle Sr. are believed to be underway by police in the Philippines.
