Meghan Markle says she’s ‘deeply distressed’ in response to child pornography allegations against her father

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and wife to Great Britain’s Prince Harry, has addressed the accusations against her father, who is being investigated over alleged possession of child sexual abuse material.

Meghan said she was “deeply distressed” by the news concerning 82-year-old Thomas Markle Sr. that has spread through tabloids in recent days. Meghan and her family recently returned to England after forfeiting their royal duties and living in the United States for a number of years.

“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,” Meghan wrote in a statement obtained by The Hill.

According to British tabloid The Sun , Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. told police he found “hundreds if not thousands” of child sexual abuse images in his father’s home. Meghan, who is said to have been estranged from her father for years, said allegations were made to British police in 2018 and were later shared with her.

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

The Sun reported that Markle Jr. reported his father to officials after finding the boxes of photos and a 15-minute video of naked young girls on his father’s phone. Markle Jr. reported his father to multiple law enforcement authorities, including the FBI, The Sun reported.

Meghan said in her statement that she trusted the authorities to protect any families at risk while she avoided her father to protect her young children.

“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 wrote. “I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.”

Meghan said she hopes that justice will be served and children will be protected.

“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,” Meghan wrote.