Meghan Markle ‘wants justice for Thomas Markle’s victims’

A close friend of the Duchess told The Sun: “It is her sincerest hope that a full and thorough investigation will now help deliver justice for the victims.”

Thomas Markle Snr has previously rejected the allegations levelled against him, describing them as “sick lies”.

During a 30-minute hearing on Friday, federal prosecutor Courtenay Derry outlined the charges against Thomas Markle Snr.

The 82-year-old was wheeled into the courtroom by two US Marshals, dressed in black trousers and a black T-shirt.

No plea was entered at the proceedings, with a joint statement from the DoJ and the US Attorney’s Office for Central California indicating that an arraignment date in California would be set at a later stage.

Following the hearing, Thomas Markle Snr was placed under house detention at his assisted living facility in Florida, where he has been residing while recovering from a leg amputation.

He was additionally ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device.

Thomas Markle Snr had relocated to a Florida rehabilitation centre earlier this year after living in the Philippines, where he had moved following a series of strokes.

The FBI executed search warrants on storage units in Los Angeles that had been registered in Thomas Markle Snr’s name since 2008, with the most recent payment recorded in October this year.

Agents recovered approximately 78 items from the units, comprising film negatives, slides and books that allegedly contained child sexual abuse material.

FBI director Kash Patel stated the bureau would deploy every available resource to safeguard children, warning that no predator would find “safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide”.

Philippine authorities obtained a warrant last month to examine devices that had allegedly been removed from Thomas Markle Snr’s former residence in the country.

Markle Snr had been living in Cebu until May, having moved to the Philippines the previous year after suffering multiple strokes.

Separately, the Metropolitan Police revealed in October that it had received a letter in 2019 containing a “number of claims” about Meghan’s father.

The force acknowledged passing the information to the Sussexes’ office but confirmed it had not forwarded it to other law enforcement bodies.

The Met has since voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over how it handled the correspondence.

When the allegations first surfaced in October, the Duchess of Sussex 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.”