Meghan says she was told of 'disturbing allegations' against father in 2018

The Duchess of Sussex has said she was informed about 'disturbing allegations' concerning her estranged father in 2018.

In a statement, Meghan said a letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle was sent to the Metropolitan Police that year and later shared with her. She said that when she received the letter, she was given assurance that the claims were being investigated.

Reports from the Philippines

Her comments follow reports that images of child sexual abuse allegedly belonging to her father were found at his former home in the Philippines. Meghan said the reports were 'deeply' distressing.

Thomas Markle, who is based in the United States, denied possessing child sex images in an interview with the Daily Mail. He described the accusations as 'sick lies'.

The allegations were first reported by The Sun. Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, told the newspaper that he had found child abuse images at their father's home in the Philippines and had reported them to the police.

Nicholas Ty, Undersecretary of the Philippines Department of Justice, told the country's state news agency that authorities were 'currently investigating the matter'.

Statement from the Duchess

In her statement, Meghan said she was 'deeply distressed' by the news and that her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed.

She said she had kept her distance from her father and did not allow him to have contact with her children. She said this was to protect them. She added that she had trusted the authorities were doing the same for other families.

Meghan described the allegations as 'more sickening than one could ever imagine'. She said her 'sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children'.

Background

The relationship between Meghan and her father, a former TV lighting director, broke down before her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. At the time, Thomas Markle was found to have colluded with photographers who were paid to stage photographs of him preparing for the wedding. He withdrew from the ceremony, citing health problems. Meghan was instead walked down the aisle by King Charles III, then Prince of Wales.

Meghan is the only child of Thomas Markle's marriage to her mother, Doria Ragland. He has two other children, Samantha and Thomas Markle Jr, from an earlier marriage.

The Sussexes' spokesman has not responded to questions about whether the allegations played a part in their decision to leave the United States.