Thomas Markle Jr. alleges he found hundreds of images among stored belongings.
Samantha Markle denies the allegations and questions who accessed the computers.
Thomas Markle, 82, has faced serious health problems in recent years.
Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., is reportedly being investigated after his son, Thomas Markle Jr., alleged that he discovered a large collection of child sexual abuse images among belongings stored in the Philippines. The allegations have been disputed by Meghan’s half-sister Samantha Markle, who has questioned whether the computers were tampered with.
What are the allegations against Thomas Markle?
According to reports, Thomas Jr., 60, told police he found hundreds of images in four boxes while searching for a mobile phone. He said he reported the discovery to the FBI hotline, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Pennsylvania state police on July 10.
Thomas Jr. later submitted a sworn statement to Filipino police, who are reportedly preparing to seize the evidence. A source cited in reports said an FBI agent had requested contact details for the investigators in the Philippines. Thomas Jr. said he was “horrified” by what he found and stated, “I had no option but to report my dad.”
Samantha Markle disputes the allegations
Samantha, who is her father’s main caregiver, strongly denied the claims and accused her brother of making them for financial gain. “There is no merit in these disgusting allegations whatsoever and my brother is disgusting for making them up. He wants to destroy our dad. Shame on him,” she told the Daily Mail.
She argued that the computers had been packed in Mexico, shipped to the Philippines and kept in storage, leaving her father without access to them for two years. “The computers were packed up in Mexico and put on a cargo ship. They were then in storage in the basement of a building in the Philippines. Dad had no access to them,” she said.
Samantha also claimed there was no proof her father had downloaded any images and suggested someone else could have accessed or tampered with the devices. The allegations have not been established as fact.
Meghan Markle’s estrangement from her father
Meghan has been estranged from Thomas Sr. since 2018, around the time of her wedding to Prince Harry. He suffered heart attacks before the ceremony and was unable to attend.
Thomas Sr., 82, has faced serious health problems, including a stroke and the amputation of his left leg. Samantha said he was too frail to defend himself and described the allegations as unsubstantiated.
The reported investigation remains ongoing, and no finding of guilt has been established.
