Thomas Markle has admitted to paying for sex in the Philippines but denied ever having sex with under-18s. The 82-year-old made the admission in an interview with The Mail on Sunday.
The admission follows Meghan Markle’s statement explaining why she has kept her father away from her children. She said her decision was intended to protect them.
“My thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed,” she said.
His son, Thomas Markle Jr has alleged that he discovered child sexual abuse images on his father’s devices. He told The Sun he had reported his father to police.
Thomas Markle denies abuse allegations
Thomas told The Mail on Sunday he visited the Philippines at least twice while single and paid for sex.
However, he denied having sexual contact with children, telling the newspaper: “I have never had sex with anyone under the age of 18.”
He said he would cooperate with investigators and was willing to take a lie detector test. However, he said he was not well enough to travel to the Philippines.
He is receiving care in Florida after his left leg was amputated last December, The Mail on Sunday reported.
Police investigation and Meghan Markle’s statement
According to The Mail on Sunday, authorities in Cebu City are investigating alleged possession of child sexual abuse images. The newspaper reported that police collected four boxes of evidence on Friday.
Separately, the Metropolitan Police acknowledged receiving a letter in 2019 containing allegations about Thomas involving alleged offending outside Britain.
The force said it passed the information to the Sussexes but not to other law enforcement agencies.
Meghan initially said she learned about the allegations in 2018. Her spokesperson later acknowledged she might have been mistaken about the timing.
The FBI told The Mail on Sunday it knew about the allegations. It said it would investigate any related allegations involving violations of US federal law.
Thomas Markle disputes his son’s account
Thomas challenged his son’s account of finding material on devices left in the Philippines.
He said his computer and old phone had been shipped from Mexico and kept in storage. He claimed he had been unable to access them for almost two years.
He alleged that any illegal images on the devices had been planted by someone else. He also said he would welcome a forensic examination of his computer.
His daughter Samantha, who is helping care for him, supported his account and questioned who had accessed the stored equipment.
Thomas has also hit out at Meghan, asking, “Why did Meghan not ask me about it?” if she’d seen the letter in 2018.
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