Pédocriminalité : Une lettre accusant le père de Meghan Markle transmis dès 2019 à la police

Philippine Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla announced on Saturday evening that authorities discovered a substantial quantity of child sexual abuse material at the former residence of Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. The discovery occurred following inspections conducted by the Philippine National Police at the property in Cebu, where Markle lived until his planned return to the United States earlier this year. Alongside the digital files, officers seized a laptop computer, which is currently undergoing forensic analysis. Remulla stated that complete results from the judicial examination of the device are expected within one week. The initial reports emerged on Friday when British tabloids The Sun and the Daily Mail disclosed that Markle’s son had found a stockpile of pedocriminal images in boxes at the family home. According to The Sun, the son, identified as Thomas Markle Jr., signed a sworn statement submitted to police. In that document, he declared he would not speak to his father again unless summoned to provide evidence against him. A source within the Philippine police force confirmed that an investigation is active, led specifically by a women and children protection brigade. Markle, who is 82 years old, has rejected the accusations. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he described the charges as a pile of lies and sick fabrications. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle issued a statement on Friday expressing deep distress over the allegations directed at her father. She revealed that she had previously barred any contact between him and their children due to prior troubling claims. The Duchess noted that her relationship with her father has remained limited and strained in recent years, particularly since he did not attend their wedding in 2018. New details regarding past reporting have surfaced simultaneously. Meghan stated that she became aware in 2018 of a letter sent to the unit responsible for protecting members of the Royal Family within London’s Metropolitan Police. That letter contained what she described as disturbing and worrying allegations concerning her father. She claimed she was assured at the time that these matters were under investigation. However, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed on Saturday that the force received a letter in January 2019 containing several claims about alleged offenses committed outside the United Kingdom. The Metropolitan Police explained that the letter was forwarded to the MPS Protection Command to address security concerns related to the safety of the Duchess of Sussex. After review, the decision was made to pass the information to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. Crucially, the spokesperson clarified that the specific details of the allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies. A source close to the case asserted that the Metropolitan Police never launched an inquiry into Markle and does not currently maintain one. This contradicts Meghan’s assertion that she was told the allegations were being investigated. When asked about the discrepancy between the dates cited by Meghan and the police, a representative for the Duchess suggested she might have been mistaken by a few months. The Metropolitan Police announced that it is currently reviewing how the matter was handled in 2019. The force is evaluating whether to refer the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the United Kingdom’s police watchdog. Internationally, an FBI spokesperson stated on Friday that the agency is aware of the allegations and will provide support to Philippine authorities as appropriate. Background on the couple reveals a complex history with the institution. Prince Harry, the second son of King Charles III and the estranged brother of Prince William, married Meghan, an American former actress, at Windsor Castle in May 2018. The pair departed Britain abruptly in 2020, citing tensions with the Royal Family and heavy media scrutiny. They subsequently stepped back from active royal duties. After spending approximately six years in the United States, the couple returned to the United Kingdom in late August with their two children, ending their period of self-imposed exile. The current situation highlights a disconnect between public statements and internal police procedures. While the Duchess expressed shock at the scale of the newly uncovered material, describing it as more sickening than imaginable, the legal process in the Philippines continues. The forensic analysis of the seized laptop will determine the extent of the digital evidence. Until those results are released, the focus remains on the ongoing inquiry in Cebu and the parallel administrative review in London regarding the handling of the 2019 correspondence. The outcome of these separate proceedings will define the immediate future of the case, with both jurisdictions operating independently based on the jurisdictional limits of their respective laws.