King Charles is said to be in "living hell" amid the alleged scandal surrounding Thomas Markle Sr., Meghan Markle's 82-year-old father, who has been placed under house detention at his assisted living facility in Florida after being charged over possession of child sex abuse material.
Meghan's older half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., has been named as a "person of interest" by authorities in the Philippines, with investigators looking into whether the 60-year-old had any involvement. However, he is not currently being treated as a formal suspect.
Royal expert warns situation 'going to blow up'
Speaking on the Daily Expresso podcast, royal expert Charlotte Griffiths warned the situation is "going to blow up." She explained how the allegations have made the King's life an "absolute living hell" over the last fortnight.
Podcast host JJ Anisiobi said: "The Philippine authorities have come out and said they're investigating Thomas Markle Jr. as well. How damaging is all of that for the Royal Family?"
Ms Griffiths replied: "Well, it's not a good thing is it to have a paedophile allegedly in the wider extended family. It's very unedifying. The King was doing his best in the Commonwealth and this was rumbling on."
Official findings still pending
She added: "I can't think of a day where this hasn't been in the papers now for a couple of weeks. We haven't even had the official findings from the Philippines government."
"They said 'give us seven days' and it's now been two weeks. So, at some point this is going to blow up all over again and it must be an absolute living hell to be the King right now honestly. You just don't want to see your monarchy affected by this scandal."
Charges and evidence
The US Department of Justice confirmed Thomas Sr. is charged with one count of possessing indecent images of children. He previously denied allegations of possessing images of child sex abuse, calling them "sick lies."
It comes after Thomas Jr. handed four boxes of material, including phones, computers, video tapes, and hard drives to police in the Philippines last month. They were reportedly discovered at Thomas Sr.'s former home in the country.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed it had received a letter in 2019 making a "number of claims" against Meghan's father. Police said the letter was passed on to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but was not shared with other law enforcement agencies.
Meghan's response and estrangement
Meghan said in a statement that she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations against her father. She added that her "thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed."
The Duchess has been completely estranged from her father since 2018. Their relationship deteriorated shortly before she married Prince Harry after it was revealed Thomas Sr. colluded with paparazzi to stage photos for cash. He has also criticised the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a number of television interviews. The 82-year-old underwent emergency leg amputation surgery in the Philippines last December. While Meghan reached out briefly following the crisis, it did not lead to a reconciliation.
