Meghan Markle’s half-brother Thomas named a 'person of interest' in investigation into child sexual abuse material involving their father
· Yahoo NewsMeghan Markle's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., is a "person of interest" in an investigation by police in the Philippines into alleged child sexual abuse material linked to their father, Thomas Markle, the country's interior secretary said Thursday.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told reporters at a press conference in Manila that authorities were examining whether Markle Jr., 60, was involved but that he was not currently considered a suspect. "We will know in the next week," he said in a video shared by Reuters.
"There are signs that point that the son is involved in the crime as well, but only as a person of interest so far," he said, adding that "he is not currently considered a suspect."
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Thomas Markle, 82, has been under investigation since October in the Philippines over allegations that he possessed child sexual abuse material. He has not been charged.
The Sun first reported that Markle Jr. told Philippine police that after his father left the Philippines in May, he discovered images of child sexual abuse material among boxes at his father's former home in Cebu.
Remulla told AFP on Oct. 24 that police inspected Markle Sr.'s former home in Cebu following a report from his son and found a "trove" of suspected child sexual abuse material and a laptop.
Markle Sr. has vehemently denied the allegations against him, telling the British newspaper the Daily Mail on Oct. 23: "It's just a bunch of lies. It's sick."
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In an interview with the Daily Mail, he said the computers had not been in his possession since he left Mexico in January 2025 and that he did not know who had access to them. He said he would welcome a forensic examination of the devices.
In a separate interview with the Daily Mail's sister paper, the Mail on Sunday, he said: "I have never had sex with anyone under the age of 18." He added that if there was anything bad on his devices, "it was put there by someone else," according to the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph.
Remulla told the British newspaper the Guardian on Oct. 25 that investigators were considering all angles because the case involved a family dispute, while stressing that a full forensic examination would give a "definitive picture."
"We want to be sure before we release the findings," he added.
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The FBI told Yahoo it was "aware of the allegations and will provide support, as appropriate, to the Philippine authorities. We will also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of U.S. law."
What do we know about Thomas Markle Jr.?
Thomas Markle Jr., 60, is Meghan's half-brother and the son of Thomas Markle and his first wife, Roslyn Loveless. He has a sister, Samantha Markle.
Markle Jr. had been caring for his father in the Philippines, where he reported him to Philippine police.
Remulla said police had received information about underage girls reportedly being brought to Markle Jr.'s home in Cordova, in the Philippines. "We have witnesses that underage girls are brought to his house and we are following it up," he said.
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Shortly after the investigation into his father was announced, Markle Jr. apologized to his sister for siding with their father during their years-long estrangement, telling the Sun on Sunday that he was "so, so sorry." He said: "I now know I have been protecting the wrong person for the past nine years."
Recalling looking after Meghan when she was a child, he asked her to accept his apology and wished her family well.
Markle Jr. has not been charged.
Meghan was sent letter containing allegations in 2019
After the allegations in the Philippines came to light, Meghan said in a public statement issued on Oct. 23 that she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations that had emerged against her father. "My thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed," she said.
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It subsequently emerged that officers at London's Metropolitan Police passed on a letter to Meghan in early 2019 that informed of her of allegations about her father.
"It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated," she said. British police said it had not shared the letter with other law enforcement agencies.
According to British tabloid the Sun on Sunday, Meghan was advised that speaking publicly could jeopardize any potential legal case.
Addressing her decision to keep Archie and Lilibet away from their grandfather over the past few years, Meghan said that "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."
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She added: "My sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children."
Meghan reportedly wrote to her estranged father in December 2025 to tell him she was aware of child abuse allegations against him and would not allow him to meet his grandchildren. Meghan reportedly told her father the letter would be the last time he heard from her.
According to the Sun on Sunday, and also reported by the BBC and the Daily Telegraph, the Duchess of Sussex sent the letter to Thomas Markle while he was hospitalized in the Philippines following a leg amputation in December 2025 after a blood clot.