Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Senior, is being investigated over an alleged stash of child abuse material found in his home, according to The Sun.
It has been reported that he allegedly kept the stash of images in his home in the Philippines, with his son, Thomas Markle Jr, finding the collection of “hundreds, if not thousands” of images.
“Now maybe people will finally understand why she has had nothing to do with her father since 2018,” a source told The Sun.
The outlet reports that four large boxes of the child abuse material were allegedly found by Thomas Jr at his father’s home, who then tipped him off to the local detectives in Cebu.
Thomas Jr told police he had discovered the horrific stash of images and videos while sorting through their family belongings, with authorities reportedly preparing to seize the evidence.
The publication reports that Thomas Jr also contacted the FBI, who will launch their own investigation.
Thomas Jr told The Sun he was “horrified” and was left with “no option” after discovering the images.
“I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years — but that stops now,” he told the publication.
“I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.”
It has also been reported that the boxes contained videos showing victims appearing to be “aged no older than ten or 11” in sex acts, along with “three still pictures of naked and scantily clad girls”.
Thomas Jr told friends he was a “shaking wreck” after accidentally finding the stash.
“What I saw made me sick to the stomach — all this stuff was just dumped on me and I didn’t know what to do,” he told one friend.
“I knew right away it was highly illegal and would land me in jail for a long time if I didn’t get rid of it. I felt betrayed, angry and disgusted — and realised I had to report him.”
The Sun reports that Thomas Jr made an initial report to the FBI hotline and Pennsylvania authorities in July, but was concerned when he received no follow-up information.
He also claimed that, with the help of a technician, he’d opened a hard drive full of multiple images of “the most sickening child abuse imaginable”, describing it as “the worst of the worst”.
Meghan and her father have been estranged since her 2018 royal wedding, after she was left “furious” when he was caught staging paparazzi photos to improve his own reputation.
Thomas Snr has had a series of health issues over the past year, including a stroke and blood clot that led to the amputation of his left leg.
Since his estrangement, Thomas Snr has said he hopes to reconcile with his daughter saying, “I don’t want to die estranged from Meghan. I want to meet my grandkids. It might be nice to meet her husband too.”
Image: 60 Minutes
