Duchess of Sussex ‘deeply distressed’ over child sexual abuse image claims against father

Key Points:

• The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, expressed deep distress over allegations against her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, involving possession of child sexual abuse images, which she was informed about by the Metropolitan police in 2018.
• Meghan stated that she distanced herself and denied her father contact with her children solely to protect them, emphasizing her hope that justice will prioritize the safety of innocent children.
• Thomas Markle Sr has denied the accusations, calling them "sick lies," and claimed he no longer possessed the computers allegedly containing the images after moving from Mexico to the Philippines.
• The allegations reportedly arose from claims by Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, who said he discovered large quantities of such images at their father's former home in the Philippines and contacted the FBI.
• Meghan’s father is currently in a Florida rehabilitation center recovering from a leg amputation and has not met his grandchildren, while the Metropolitan police and Royalty and Specialist Protection Unit are understood to have been investigating the 2018 allegations.