Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha Markle is hitting back against the allegations surrounding her father, Thomas Markle Sr.
After news emerged that Thomas Sr. was reportedly being investigated for allegedly possessing child sex abuse material (CSAM) images after being turned in by his son, Thomas Markle Jr., Samantha defended her dad while speaking to the Daily Mail on Thursday, October 22.
“There is no merit in these disgusting allegations whatsoever and my brother is disgusting for making them up. He wants to destroy our dad. Shame on him,” Samantha, 61, told the publication.
Samantha accused her sibling of making the claims about their father for financial gain.
“My brother first came out with these lies a few weeks ago when the cash from my dad was cut off. He has used dad as a cash cow for years and once the money stopped he made up the most outrageous lies he could to try and make money from the media,” Samantha added.
She continued. “There is no proof my dad downloaded any images. Those computers were out of his possession for two years. That leaves a lot of room for tampering. These are unsubstantiated allegations. Anyone could have been in contact with those computers over a couple of years. Dad was in a rehabilitation facility and did not have access to those computers.”
Us has reached out to Thomas Jr. for comment. Thomas Sr. has yet to address the allegations against him.
Thomas Jr., 60, told The Sun on Thursday that he was “horrified and I had no option but to report” his father after allegedly discovering the illegal images at Thomas Sr.’s home in the Philippines. There is no indication that Thomas Sr. has been arrested in either the Philippines or in the U.S., where he now resides.
Thomas Jr., who reportedly acted as his father’s primary caregiver since he suffered a stroke in 2022, allegedly found “hundreds, if not thousands” of CSAM images while searching through his father’s belongings in the Philippines, per The Sun.
He purportedly went to local police and contacted the FBI with his accusations. Thomas Jr. is now in the process of handing over relevant evidence to Filipino authorities, according to various reports.
“I have supported, cared for [my dad] and helped him for years — but that stops now,” Thomas Jr. told The Sun. “I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.”
Thomas Sr. has been estranged from his daughter Meghan as well as her husband, Prince Harry, since 2018. Tensions between the family members reached boiling point when Thomas Sr. was caught staging paparazzi photos in the lead up to Meghan and Harry’s wedding that year. Thomas Sr. has never met Meghan and Harry’s children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
