Prince Harry’s previous comments about Thomas Markle Sr. have resurfaced as Meghan Markle’s estranged father is being investigated for child sex abuse photo claims.
“Of course it’s incredibly sad what happened,” Harry, 42, said in the 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. “She had a father before this, and now she doesn’t have a father. And I shouldered that because if Meg wasn’t with me, then her dad would still be her dad.”
Meghan, 45, and Thomas Sr., 82, became estranged in 2018 ahead of her wedding to Harry.
At the time, Thomas Sr. reportedly staged paparazzi photos with a British tabloid. He ultimately decided not to attend his daughter’s wedding after the arrangement was revealed.
“I wish I hadn’t done the whole thing,” he told Good Morning Britain in 2021. “Yes, I went for this deal where this man was going to make me look better. Maybe I got sucked into it, but I believed him, and I thought it was going to work. It didn’t work. Of course.”
Meghan’s estrangement from her father continued as she became a mother and welcomed Prince Archie in 2019 and Princess Lilibet in 2021.
News broke on Thursday, October 22, that Thomas Sr. is under investigation by local authorities after his son, Thomas Markle Jr., allegedly discovered a cache of child sex abuse material (CSAM) in boxes at Thomas Sr.’s house in the Philippines, where he lived until early 2025.
“I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me,” Thomas Sr. told the Daily Mail on Friday, October 23. “I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of. This is bulls***. It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”
Meghan later spoke out and said she is “deeply distressed” amid the allegations.
“My thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed,” the Duchess of Sussex said in a statement to Us. “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.”
She continued, “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.”
U.K. police said they are aware of media reports that officers from the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command were involved in the passing on of a letter in 2018.
“We are undertaking enquiries internally in an effort to confirm this,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson told Us in a statement on Friday.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
