Meghan Markle Says She Is ‘Deeply Distressed’ by ‘Disturbing’ Allegations Against Her Father, Thomas Markle

A letter sent to London police years ago now sits at the heart of the case. Meanwhile, those closest to the royal say she has been left heartbroken.

Meghan Markle is speaking out amid the alarming allegations recently leveled against her father, Thomas Markle Sr. The former lighting director, 82, is under investigation for possessing indecent images of minors.

The images, along with other materials, were discovered by Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., who then handed them over to police. In a statement, the Duchess of Sussex explained for the first time why she chose to distance herself from her father.

"I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed," she wrote on Friday, October 23.

"In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me," she revealed. "It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated."

According to The Sun, the letter was written by Thomas Sr.'s late ex-wife, Roslyn Loveless, who alleged that the Emmy winner had told her he moved to the Philippines because "12-year-olds are legal there."

Meghan went on to make it clear that her decision to keep her father at arm's length had always been about her family's safety.

"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," Meghan said. "I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families."

She added, "Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children."

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Thomas Sr. denied possessing child sex images, branding the accusations "sick lies."

"I'm shocked, I'm hurt and I'm very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I'm being accused of. It's the worst thing anyone could accuse me of," Thomas Sr. told the outlet. "It's just a bunch of lies. It's sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies."

When Loveless submitted her letter, the UK's Metropolitan Police did not have jurisdiction to investigate its claims, as the alleged incidents were said to have taken place abroad.

However, over the weekend, the force admitted that it had not referred the matters raised in the letter to the relevant authorities overseas who could have investigated them. It is now reviewing the case while it decides whether to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Thomas Sr. has been estranged from Meghan since the run-up to her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. He has never met the Duke of Sussex, nor his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

In the wake of the accusations against him, sources say the Sussexes have traveled out of the UK. According to Hello!, Meghan and Harry have taken their kids overseas for a short break and are understood to be spending time with close friends.

Meghan's inner circle has also been calling her daily to check in on her. "She's just really, really upset," a friend told the outlet. "She keeps on looking at Lili and she's in tears, and thinking about all the children, the alleged victims. She has young children herself. It's just devastating."

"She decided a while ago, before this happened, that she was going to take herself away from the media and not look at anything, for her own mental health," the insider said.

"But obviously, she's been getting sent a lot of messages from friends in the UK and people all over saying how sorry they are, but it's just been an emotional roller coaster for her," the source added. "She's in bits."