A friend of Meghan Markle’s has revealed that the Duchess is going through a hard time following the allegations against her father, Thomas Markle Sr. “It’s been really difficult. She’s really cut up,” a friend recently told PEOPLE. “She has young children, and I think that, alongside the victims, is just weighing on her mind. It’s traumatic.” There is also “a slight sense of relief that this is all coming out,” the friend added, expressing hope that “a proper investigation can take place.”
In October, The Sun reported that the Duchess of Sussex’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, had alerted police and FBI to his alleged discovery of child pornographic images at Thomas Sr’s home in Cebu, Philippines. Meghan’s half-sister, Samantha Markle, accused Thomas Markle Jr of fabricating the claims in a story in the Daily Mail.
The Telegraph reports that Scotland Yard confirmed that it had begun the process of alerting the FBI to allegations in a letter sent by Roslyn Loveless, Thomas Markle Sr’s first wife, in January 2019. The letter accused Meghan’s father of child sex abuse and made a claim that he had gone to the Far East “because 12-year-olds are legal there”. Thomas Markle Sr denies all the allegations against him, calling them “sick lies”.
Meghan released a statement reacting to the allegations. She said: “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. 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.
“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. I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families. 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.”
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