Meghan advised against going public about father’s allegations in 2019: reports

Meghan Markle was advised by Metropolitan Police royal protection officers not to publicly address allegations against her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., it has been claimed.

The Duchess of Sussex wanted to make a public statement after learning of the serious allegations years ago, The Mirror and the Daily Mail report, but was urged by her security team to remain silent and offer no public explanation for cutting off communication with her father Thomas, who denies all wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime.

Thomas Markle Sr., 82, is being actively investigated by authorities in the Philippines over the alleged possession of child sexual abuse material.

The investigation was triggered after his son, Thomas Markle Jr., reported finding illicit files across boxes and hard drives while clearing out his father’s former home in Cebu, the Philippines.

Local law enforcement has since raided an abandoned storage locker previously rented by Thomas Markle Sr. in the Philippines.

Thomas Markle Sr. has strongly denied the accusations, calling them sick fabrications.

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He is currently living in a Florida rehabilitation facility in the United States, recovering from ongoing medical complications following an emergency lower-leg amputation.

Meghan was first formally made aware of severe accusations regarding her father in early 2019 via a letter written by his ex-wife Roslyn Loveless, the mother of Meghan’s half-siblings, Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle Jr.

Loveless reportedly sent the letter to the Met Police’s Royalty and Specialist Protection command to highlight security risks. Loveless passed away in 2024.

The Metropolitan Police has since confirmed it received the letter in January 2019 and passed it directly to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s private office for their awareness.

Scotland Yard admitted the claims were never referred to relevant overseas police agencies at the time.

The Met has since referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for an independent investigation into how the force handled the matter.

Following the recent public revelations, the Duchess of Sussex issued a statement explaining the letter prompted her to cut ties with her father.

“In 2018 [later clarified to January 2019], a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection,” she said.

“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.”