Meghan Markle said she is “deeply distressed” amid allegations that her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., was found to have been in possession of material depicting child sex abuse.

“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,” the Duchess of Sussex, 45, said in a statement to Us on Friday, October 23.

Meghan continued, “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,” Meghan said in the statement. “I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.”

She concluded, “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.”

The Sun reported on Thursday, October 22, that Thomas Sr., 82, is being investigated after his son, Thomas Markle Jr., found a cache of child sex abuse material (CSAM) in boxes at his father’s house in the Phillippines, which he turned over to local authorities.

“When I found this material, I was horrified and I had no option but to report my dad,” Thomas Jr. told the British newspaper. “I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years — but that stops now. I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.”

Thomas Sr. has yet to address the allegations. There is no indication that he has been arrested in either the Philippines or in the U.S., where he now resides.

Thomas Sr. shares Meghan with his second wife, Doria Ragland, whom he divorced in 1987. He also shares daughter Samantha, 61, and son Thomas Jr., 60, with his first wife, Roslyn Loveless.

Samantha defended her father, telling the Daily Mail, “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.”

Meghan has been estranged from her father for nearly a decade, stemming back to her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. He has never met her children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, nor did he attend her wedding after he was accused of posing for staged paparazzi photos in the lead-up to the event.

“H and I called my dad. I said, ‘They’re saying you’re taking money from the tabloids to stage photos. Is this true?’ He says, ‘No,’” Meghan alleged in a 2022 episode of Netflix’s docuseries Harry and Meghan. “And on that call, I’d said to him, ‘Look. If they can’t stop this story, then it’s going to come out tomorrow, so why don’t we send someone right now to your house to get you out of there now because if that’s the case, your house will be swarmed by media. We’ll get you out.’”

The Duchess continued, “He said, ‘No. I have things I need to do.’ And it felt really cagey. I was like, ‘It doesn’t make sense.’ And when we hung up, I looked at H. I was like, ‘I don’t know why, but I don’t believe him.’”

If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.