Meghan Markle is “deeply distressed” by child pornography allegations against her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., and has cut off all contact with him to protect her own children.
The Duchess of Sussex, 45, addressed the investigation in a statement on Friday, revealing she first learned of the claims back in 2018, the same year she married Prince Harry, 42. That timing, she explained, directly led to her estrangement from Thomas Sr. And his absence from the royal wedding.
“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,” Markle wrote.
She continued: “I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.”
“The breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine,” she added.
A friend close to the former “Suits” actress told Hello! Magazine on Monday that Meghan is “just really, really upset.” The same source said Meghan and Harry took Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, overseas last week after news of the investigation broke on Thursday, though their exact destination remains unknown.
“She keeps on looking at Lili and she’s in tears, and thinking about all the children, the alleged victims,” the insider told the publication. “She has young children herself. It’s just devastating.”
The friend also revealed that Meghan “decided a while ago,” before the story became public, “that she was going to take herself away from the media and not look at anything, for her own mental health.” That plan has been tested by an outpouring of messages from friends “saying how sorry they are.”
“But it’s just been an emotional rollercoaster for her,” the insider claimed. “She’s in bits.”
The investigation centers on “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sex abuse images allegedly discovered at Thomas Sr.’s home in the Philippines by his son, Thomas Jr. Thomas Jr. Found the images in boxes and turned them over to local authorities.
Thomas Sr. Denied the allegations in an interview on Friday, calling them “sick lies.” His daughter Samantha Markle has also defended him, claiming Thomas Jr. Fabricated the accusations as “revenge” for being cut off financially.
The allegations are not entirely new to authorities. Roslyn Loveless, Thomas Sr.’s late first wife who died in 2024, detailed alleged abuse in a letter that reached London’s Metropolitan Police in 2019 and was later forwarded to Meghan, sources said.
Meghan’s final communication with her father came in December 2025, when he was recovering from a leg amputation. She allegedly wrote that he would never meet her children or hear from her again.
A representative for Meghan and Harry was not immediately available to the outlet for comment on their current whereabouts.
Despite the family turmoil, Meghan has professional commitments ahead. The As Ever founder is set to appear as a “special guest” on “Junior MasterChef Australia,” which returns after a six-year hiatus.
“Markle called agreeing to be on the show ‘an easy yes,'” the network’s press release stated.
“I love cooking with my own kids, so seeing what these young stars create in the kitchen is going to be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to see what they cook up!” she said in a statement.
The series will be hosted by Poh Ling Yeow on Australian network 10.