Key Takeaways
- Thomas Markle Sr., 82, admitted paying for sex with adult women in the Philippines but denied possessing child sexual abuse material, calling the allegations “sick lies.”
- His son, Thomas Markle Jr., claims he found hundreds or thousands of abusive images and videos at his father’s former Cebu home and reported them to police and the FBI.
- Philippine authorities seized a computer and four boxes of media for forensic review, while London’s Met Police reviews its handling of related allegations received in 2019.
Thomas Markle Sr. is speaking out about the child sexual abuse allegations that have put him under investigation, admitting that he paid for sex with prostitutes while denying the more serious claims against him.
The 82-year-old father of Meghan Markle told the Daily Mail that he slept with prostitutes on two trips to the Philippines while he was single but that he has never had sex with anyone under the age of 18.
"I like Asian women, but that is not a crime," he said.
The senior Markle denied possessing child sexual abuse images and called the accusations "sick lies.” He suggested any such material found had been planted and said his computer and old phone were shipped from Mexico and had been out of his possession since January 2025.
He also offered to take a lie detector test and to submit his computer for forensic examination while speaking from a Florida nursing and rehabilitation facility where he is learning to walk again after a 2025 leg amputation.
The allegations originated with his son. Thomas Markle Jr., 60, told The Sun he found hundreds, possibly thousands, of child abuse images and videos in boxes at his father's former home in Cebu and signed a sworn statement for police and contacted the FBI in July. His sister Samantha Markle, 61, has called the claims a "set-up."
The Philippine Department of Justice has confirmed that its anti-trafficking and OSAEC task force in Cebu is investigating. National police have secured the senior Markle’s computer for digital forensics, and the FBI said it is aware of the case and will support Philippine authorities.
Philippine police removed four large boxes of negatives, VHS tapes, and DVDs from the Cebu home on Friday.
In London, the Met Police confirmed Saturday (Oct. 24) that it received a letter in January 2019 containing claims of alleged offenses outside of the UK. The force reviewed the letter and passed it to the Sussexes' office without sharing the details with other law enforcement agencies.
Meghan Markle said that she was made aware of "disturbing allegations" about her father in 2018 and kept Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, away from him to protect them. The estrangement dates back to around her 2018 wedding, which he missed after staging paparazzi photographs.
