Meghan Says She Was Told of Troubling Allegations Against Her Father in 2018 as Philippines Opens Probe

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said she is "deeply distressed" by reports that her father, Thomas Markle, is being investigated by authorities in the Philippines over alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials. She made the remarks in a statement sent to CBS News on Friday.

The duchess said she had known of allegations against her father since 2018, and that they were passed to U.K. authorities at that time. "In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. 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," her statement said.

It is understood that the Metropolitan Police has not investigated Thomas Markle and is not currently doing so. A Met spokesperson said the force was aware of media reports that officers from its Royalty and Specialist Protection Command helped pass on a letter in 2018. "We are undertaking enquiries internally in an effort to confirm this," the spokesperson said.

Meghan also addressed her estrangement from her father. She said she distanced herself from him to protect her 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," she said.

The British tabloid The Sun reported on Thursday that Thomas Markle Jr. had reported his father to Philippine authorities. The younger man allegedly found child abuse materials in storage boxes at the family home in the Philippines.

The Daily Mail reported on Friday that Markle denied the allegations. "I have never downloaded anything like that in my life," he was quoted as saying, and he dismissed the claims as "sick lies."

According to the Mail, Thomas Jr. made the discovery while his father was in the United States being treated for a stroke and blood clot. He reportedly first saw some of the materials after switching on an old cell phone at the home. In July, he is said to have reported them to an FBI hotline, the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children and state police in Pennsylvania.

Philippine state media confirmed on Friday that an investigation was underway. In a Facebook post, the state-run Philippine News Agency said the Department of Justice was looking into reports involving an octogenarian American national who allegedly left child abuse videos and photos in his home in Cebu province.

A Filipino justice official said the department's anti-trafficking task force was handling the matter and confirmed that Thomas Markle Sr. was the subject of the investigation, the agency reported.

Meghan said her "sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children."