Buckingham Palace was reportedly “blindsided” by allegations involving Meghan Markle’s estranged father, former Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle Sr.
The Sun reported on Oct. 22 that Thomas Markle Jr. said he found “hundreds, if not thousands” of images depicting child sexual abuse while clearing out boxes at his father’s former home in Cebu, Philippines. Markle Jr. told the newspaper that he reported the images to Philippine police and contacted the FBI in the U.S.
The 82-year-old Markle denied the allegations to the Daily Mail, telling the newspaper: “I’m shocked, I’m hurt, and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Markle Sr. for comment.
“Following the report, I made more than 40 phone calls to royal sources over the weekend, and nobody I spoke to had heard anything about these allegations before the story broke in The Sun,” Kinsey Schofield, host of the YouTube show “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,” told Fox News Digital.
“My understanding is that Buckingham Palace was blindsided,” she said. “They find themselves dragged into another controversy involving [the Sussexes]. And the allegations are deeply disturbing.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Meghan wrote: “I am 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. 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,” she wrote. “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.”
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The Metropolitan Police said its records show that the letter was received in January 2019, not 2018. Meghan’s spokesperson subsequently acknowledged the discrepancy, saying the police’s timestamped records should be treated as authoritative.
The letter was written by Markle Sr.’s first wife, Roslyn Markle, also known as Roslyn Loveless, ITV News reported on Oct. 26. The outlet said it had reviewed the letter, which contained allegations of sexual abuse against Markle Sr. He has denied the allegations.
Melvin Matibag, director of the Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation, told The Associated Press that the FBI had requested the bureau’s assistance in investigating Markle Jr.’s allegations against his father.
Philippine Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla separately told the AP that the Philippine National Police was also investigating Markle Jr.’s allegations against his father. Remulla did not elaborate.
A spokesperson for Remulla told Fox News Digital that the Philippine National Police (PNP) is continuing its investigation.
Schofield said the royal family would likely keep its distance from the Sussexes as its members prioritize their duties while the investigation continues.
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“King Charles is in a difficult position,” said Schofield. “As a father, I believe he would want to offer Harry emotional support. Let’s not forget, it was the king who walked Meghan down the aisle when her own father couldn’t. But Harry has repeatedly shared private conversations through interviews, documentaries and his memoir. The king would be reluctant to have a sensitive conversation on this topic with Prince Harry without reassurance that it would remain private.”
“As for Prince William, don’t expect him to get involved,” said Schofield. “This is not his fight. The palace has already established that Harry and Meghan are private citizens who do not represent the crown. This is a matter for the Sussex household. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that allegations were passed to Sussex’s office in 2019, but the police say they did not share those allegations with other law enforcement agencies. My royal sources have given me no indication that the palace was informed.”
A spokesperson for London’s Metropolitan Police told Fox News Digital: “Following a thorough review of Met Police systems and records, we have confirmed that in January 2019, we received a letter containing a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom. It was sent to the MPS Protection Command to raise concerns in relation to the security of the Duchess of Sussex.”
“The letter was reviewed, and a decision was made that it should be passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness,” the statement said. “The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies. The MPS is reviewing the handling of this matter in 2019 and considering whether a referral to the IOPC is necessary to review our approach.”
The Metropolitan Police’s review concerns how the force handled the letter in 2019, rather than a criminal investigation into Markle Sr. British police said they were also considering whether to refer their handling of the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the police watchdog in England and Wales.
The Times reported that the Metropolitan Police shared the information with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but apparently not with other members of the royal household. Buckingham Palace declined to comment to the newspaper.
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According to the outlet, Scotland Yard said the letter contained several allegations of offenses outside the United Kingdom, but police did not launch an investigation at the time. The force acknowledged that it had not shared the allegations with overseas authorities.
Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that although the king might privately offer support to the Sussexes, he is unlikely to comment publicly on the investigation.
“He cannot publicly be seen to be doing anything at all,” said Turner. “Neither can any of the members of the royal family because of this potential investigation. According to the prosecutor in Cebu in the Philippines, quick decisions are going to be made.”
“What I see is Meghan, again, right in the middle of a controversy that is not of her doing,” he said.
British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that her sources were not commenting because “this is being treated as a private Sussex matter.”
“To date, while there has been no formal comment, needless to say, there’s nothing about this the royals would want to be associated with,” said Fordwich. “It is extremely unlikely the king, or any royal, comments in any way regarding the gravity of these allegations. Institutional distancing is more than likely.”
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People magazine reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were receiving updates on the allegations while vacationing with their two children during a school break.
“It’s been really difficult,” a friend told the outlet. “[Meghan’s] really cut up. She has young children, and I think that, alongside the victims, it’s just weighing on her mind. It’s traumatic.”
There is also “a slight sense of relief that this is all coming out,” the friend said, adding that Meghan hopes “a proper investigation can take place.”
A source close to Meghan told People magazine: “There is a lot to process emotionally. But she’s doing okay. She’s holding up. She’s surrounded by loved ones and is feeling supported right now. She has great people around her getting through this moment.”
On Oct. 24, The Sun reported that Meghan sent her father a letter in December 2025 while he was recovering in a Philippine hospital from a leg amputation following a blood clot.
According to the newspaper, Meghan wrote that she was aware of the sexual abuse allegations against Markle Sr. and would never allow him to meet her two children. She also reportedly told him it would be the last time he heard from her.
The outlet reported that Meghan arranged for hospital staff to deliver the letter to her father’s bedside, ask him to sign a form acknowledging receipt and record his acceptance of the letter.
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Markle Sr. is receiving care at a rehabilitation center in Florida, People magazine reported.
