Meghan’s Half-Brother Named ‘Person of Interest’ as Philippine Probe Cites 7,000 Images

Thomas Markle Jr, the Duchess of Sussex’s half-brother, has been named a “person of interest” by Philippine authorities investigating child sexual abuse image allegations against their father, Thomas Markle Sr. No charges against either man have been reported in the sources, and officials have been careful about how they describe the son’s position.

Interior and local government secretary Jonvic Remulla told a press conference in Manila there were “signs that point that the son is involved in the crime as well”. He stressed that Markle Jr, 60, was “only a person of interest so far” and was not yet being treated as a suspect. “We will know in the next few days,” he added.

What the Philippine official said

Remulla said more than 7,000 photos and one video had been uncovered. He said they showed under-age males and females of Asian, Latin and European descent, some as young as 10 and 11. He called them “the most deplorable displays of impunity towards sexual activity that I have ever seen”.

The Guardian reports that Markle Jr’s alleged involvement is not thought to be directly linked to the material he handed to police. The sources do not say what the “signs” Remulla referred to actually are, and Markle Jr has not been reported as responding to the remark.

How the inquiry began

The inquiry followed Markle Jr’s own approach to local police and the FBI. He said he had found four storage boxes at his father’s former home in the Philippines containing “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sex abuse images. The Mirror reports that boxes of materials were handed to authorities last week and are understood to contain computers, phones, hard drives and old video tapes.

The Standard reports that Markle Jr also alerted the FBI to two storage units in Los Angeles. This came days after Mexican police raided a unit Markle Sr is said to have rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico. Police and FBI agents are examining whether Markle Sr possessed illegal images while living in the Philippines and in Mexico.

Markle Jr was recently interviewed at his home in Cordova, Cebu, during an international, multi-agency video meeting. According to the Sun, as cited by the Guardian, he gave his statement to an FBI agent in Florida who specialises in child abuse cases. He remains in Cebu City.

Markle Sr’s position

Markle Sr, 82, returned to the US from the Philippines in May. He has admitted paying for sex in the Philippines. He strongly denies possessing child abuse imagery, has called the allegations “sick lies”, and has suggested he was “set up”. He has reportedly been moved into a US care home for dementia patients, which the Standard says has prompted fears that the FBI may be unable to interview him.

Meghan, the Met and the wider fallout

The Duchess of Sussex said she was “deeply distressed” by the claims. She said she had been told of disturbing allegations about her father and had kept him from contact with her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to protect them. A spokesman declined to comment on the latest development.

The sources differ on when she received a letter containing those allegations through the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. The Guardian says 2018, the Mirror says 2019, and the Standard says “seven years ago”. The Met has said it shared the allegations with her but not with other forces, and it has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is now investigating.

For now, the label of “person of interest” signals only that investigators want to establish more about the son’s role. Remulla’s promise of clarity “in the next few days” suggests the next announcement may show whether the inquiry widens or the label is dropped.

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