Signs suggest Thomas Markle Sr may be ‘sex offender of the grossest kind’, says Philippine minister

Exclusive: Forensic analysis of found images continues as Meghan’s father denies possessing child sexual abuse images

All signs point to Thomas Markle Sr being a “possible sex offender of the grossest kind” although a full forensic investigation will give a “definitive picture”, the Philippine interior minister has told the Guardian.

Authorities in the south-east Asian country are analysing digital images allegedly belonging to the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex that were said to have been found at his former home in Cebu. Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, reported to authorities last week that he had apparently discovered a stash of child sexual abuse images.

The duchess, already estranged from her father, broke off all contact with him last year, reportedly telling him she and the authorities were aware of allegations he had abused young girls, it is understood.

In a final letter to her father first reported by the Sun on Sunday, sent while he was in a hospital in the Philippines having had a leg amputated, Meghan made clear he would never see his grandchildren Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, and that she would never contact him again, it is understood.

Jonvic Remulla, the Philippine interior minister, told the Guardian: “In these cases where family disputes are mixed up, we have to consider all the angles. Right now all signs point to a possible sex offender of the grossest kind. We want to be sure before we release the findings. The forensics data will be complete in a week.”

Remulla said a statement would be released once the data had been analysed, without giving a specific date. “Please give us a week to determine the contents and to come up with a definitive picture,” he said. “We will release a statement then.”

Markle Sr has denied possessing child sexual abuse images, telling the Daily Mail the accusations were “sick lies”. Philippine police are also investigating a laptop found at the home in Cebu where Markle Sr had been living until he returned to the US earlier this year.

In a statement given to Agence France-Presse, Remulla said the Philippine national police inspected Markle’s former home and found a “trove of child pornography materials as well as a laptop”.

“The PNP will coordinate with their counterparts to locate and take appropriate legal actions against Mr Markle if found that there is sufficient evidence to charge him,” he said.

Markle Sr has told the Mail the computers had not been in his possession since he left Mexico with his son in 2025 and moved to the Philippines “for a fresh start”. He said: “This is bullshit. It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”

The Sun reported on Friday that Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, told detectives in the Philippines he had discovered “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sexual abuse images on computers and mobile phones stored in four large boxes at the home in Cebu. Markle Jr, 60, said he had also contacted the FBI in the US, the newspaper said.

Meghan has revealed she learned of allegations against her father in 2019, having been told by the Metropolitan police, and said she was given assurances these claims were being investigated. Sources said she had been advised that speaking publicly about the claims could have jeopardised any potential legal case and also put her at risk of legal action.

On Saturday the Met confirmed it had passed a letter “containing a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom” to Meghan and the Duke of Sussex in 2019 but did not share details with other law enforcement agencies. Scotland Yard is considering whether to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct to review its actions.

The duchess was “upset and really frustrated” that the Met had not acted on allegations made in that letter, sources said.

In a new interview with the Mail on Sunday, Markle Sr said he had “never had sex with anyone under the age of 18”, telling the paper that when he was single he travelled to the Philippines at least twice and paid for sex.

He is reportedly in a Florida rehabilitation centre after his leg amputation.

In a statement on Friday, Meghan said she was “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”.

She said: “In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me. 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.

“Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.”

Sources later clarified she had misremembered the year in which the Met had contacted her, and confirmed it had been 2019, not 2018 as she said on Friday.

The FBI said in a statement on Friday that it was “aware of the allegations and will provide support, as appropriate, to the Philippine authorities. We will also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of US law.”