Markle Sr faces one week forensic deadline as digital files examined

A digital forensic team in the Philippines has one week to process a computer seized from the former home of Thomas Markle Sr, the father of the Duchess of Sussex.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla stated that national police secured the device for a full examination. He expects the forensic results to be ready within seven days. The machine contained files that Markle's son, Thomas Markle Jr, identified as child sexual abuse images. Markle Jr told detectives he found hundreds or thousands of such images on computers and phones stored in four boxes in Cebu.

Meghan Markle issued a statement through a spokesperson confirming her distress over the allegations. She revealed that the Metropolitan Police shared a 2018 letter with her shortly after her wedding. The letter, sent to the Royalty and Specialist Protection unit, contained what she described as disturbing claims. She said she was assured the matter was under investigation. This assurance formed the basis for her decision to limit contact between her father and her two children.

Markle Sr currently resides in a rehabilitation center in Florida. He is learning to walk with a prosthetic limb following the amputation of his left leg due to a blood clot. The 76-year-old denied the accusations, describing them as sick lies. He told the Daily Mail that the computers had not been in his possession since he moved to the Philippines in January 2025. He claimed he left the devices in Rosarito, Mexico, before that move.

The investigation is being handled by a taskforce in Cebu focused on human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. The FBI said it will support Philippine authorities and examine any federal violations of US law. Markle Sr returned to the United States in May after suffering a stroke. He has been estranged from Meghan since he missed their wedding on health grounds. He has not met his grandchildren, Prince Archie, who is seven, and Princess Lilibet, who is five.

Markle's half-sister, Samantha Markle, questioned the timing of the claims. She accused her brother of fabricating stories for financial gain, noting that their father cut off his funds shortly before the allegations surfaced. She emphasized that the computers were out of Markle Sr's possession for two years, creating a window for potential tampering. The Met Police are conducting internal inquiries to confirm whether officers involved in passing the 2018 letter were acting within protocol. The force has not opened a formal investigation into Markle Sr.