Meghan Markle ‘Wanted to Go Public’ With Explosive Allegations Against Father Thomas in 2019 — But Royal Bodyguards Reportedly Told Her to Stay Silent

Meghan Markle reportedly wanted to speak publicly after learning of disturbing allegations against her father, Thomas Markle, in 2019. But instead of going straight to the media, the Duchess of Sussex was allegedly advised by a Metropolitan Police royal protection officer to leave the matter in their hands.

The revelation raises fresh questions about how the allegations were handled, who knew about them and why other authorities were apparently not alerted at the time.

It comes as Mexican investigators have seized suspected child sexual abuse material from a storage unit linked to Thomas Markle, 82, following a Daily Mail report. Markle denies the allegations against him.

‘Leave It With Us’: The Advice Meghan Was Reportedly Given

According to a report by The Times, Meghan, now 45, wanted to go public after receiving a seven-page handwritten letter containing allegations against her father.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the letter was handed to the Duchess in January 2019. It had first been assessed by the force’s Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP) team before being passed to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s office at Kensington Palace for their awareness.

The letter was written by Roslyn Loveless, Thomas Markle’s first wife, who died in 2024. She accused the former Hollywood lighting technician of child sexual abuse and alleged that he regularly travelled to the Philippines and Thailand because he claimed that “12-year-olds are legal there”.

The claims remain allegations, not proof of criminal wrongdoing.

After Meghan learned of the letter’s contents, one of her royal bodyguards reportedly told her: “Leave it with us, we’ll investigate it.”

The same officer is said to have advised her against speaking publicly, at a time when she was facing criticism over her estrangement from her father.

Thomas Markle did not attend Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018, and the breakdown in their relationship had become a subject of intense public scrutiny.

Meghan described the allegations as “troubling and disturbing” last week.

The Metropolitan Police, which did not investigate the alleged offences because they took place overseas, is reportedly still trying to identify the officer who advised her.

Senior Palace Aides Were Allegedly Kept in the Dark

The handling of the letter has raised another uncomfortable question: how many people within the royal household knew what had been reported?

Despite the involvement of Harry and Meghan’s protection officers, some of the couple’s closest advisers at Kensington Palace were reportedly unaware of the allegations.

Among them were Samantha Cohen, a former aide to Queen Elizabeth II who served as the Sussexes’ private secretary, and Jason Knauf, who was joint communications secretary to Harry and Meghan as well as William and Kate.

A source described the Sussexes as “very private and tended not to share stuff with others”.

Aides close to King Charles, who was the Prince of Wales at the time, are also believed to have been unaware of the letter.

The apparent lack of communication has fuelled questions about whether the seriousness of the allegations was recognised beyond the immediate protection team.

One Metropolitan Police source suggested that the officers who assessed the letter in 2019 may have failed to appreciate its wider implications.

“These people are not detectives and have a tendency to be quite linear in their thinking,” the source said.

“RaSP would only have been interested in what it meant for the security of the Duke and Duchess [of Sussex]. Having assessed that, they should have thought about the wider consequences.”

Scotland Yard has faced scrutiny over why the allegations were not passed to international law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.

The force has referred itself to the police watchdog over its failure to pass on allegations of serious offending to the relevant overseas authorities at the time.

Mexican Investigators Seize Material From Storage Unit

The revelations surrounding Meghan’s 2019 letter have emerged alongside a separate and significant development in the investigation involving her father.

On Saturday, Mexican authorities raided a storage unit in Rosarito and seized material suspected of containing child sexual abuse imagery, after the Daily Mail alerted investigators to what the unit allegedly contained.

Sex-crime investigators and forensic specialists arrived at the facility shortly after midnight.

The seized material reportedly included magazines depicting the sexual abuse of children, photographs of naked young Asian females, a computer, thumb drives and VHS tapes.

One agent was reportedly heard exclaiming “Ay cabron” — a Spanish expression conveying shock or frustration — while examining the material.

The storage unit was located near Markle’s former home in Rosarito, where he lived for approximately a decade after moving there in 2011.

According to receipts obtained by the newspaper, Markle leased the five-foot-by-ten-foot space in 2017.

The search warrant authorised investigators to look for evidence of child sexual abuse material and the alleged aggravated crime of human trafficking.

After the items were seized, officers sealed the unit with an official notice.

The raid took place at Baja Storage, a gated storage facility, after the Daily Mail reported that Unit 22 contained suspected child sexual abuse images.

Hours before the operation, the newspaper had photographed Markle being moved between care homes in Lakeland, Florida, in a wheelchair. He was accompanied by his daughter Samantha and her boyfriend, Mark Phillips.

Markle has had his left leg amputated following a blood clot and has recently been diagnosed with a cognitive condition.

What Investigators Reportedly Found Inside

The contents of the unit reportedly included material beyond ordinary family belongings.

Among the items described by the newspaper were:

• Strips of 35mm photographic negatives depicting voyeuristic images of children on a beach.
• Dusty VHS tapes bearing titles including “Boys – Brother and Sister -Russian XX” and “Manila Nites”.
• Photographs of Asian females who appeared conspicuously young.
• Books and magazines that reportedly sexualised children.
• Old computers and a paper plate marked “DARK WEB” in red ink, alongside various web addresses.

Staff at Baja Storage reportedly knew nothing about the material before its discovery and were disgusted by what was found.

The newspaper said it had learned about the unit the previous week after discovering that Markle had fallen behind on his rental payments two years earlier.

He reportedly moved to the Philippines in early 2025 without emptying the storage space.

The discovery has added another layer to an already serious investigation involving allegations spanning more than one country.

FBI Agents in Florida and California Join the Case

FBI personnel based in Tampa, near the senior-living residence where Markle is staying in Florida, are among those working on the case. Officials based in Southern California are also involved.

According to the search warrant obtained by the Daily Mail, Mexican state prosecutors sought authorisation from Judge Estefany Moreno Gutierrez of the Judicial Branch of Baja California during a closed court hearing on Friday.

At around 4pm, a small group of uniformed officers arrived at the storage depot and asked to speak with its owner.

More officers from Mexico’s State Investigation Agency subsequently arrived, while Mexican National Guard soldiers took up positions outside.

Investigators showed the overnight caretaker the warrant before more than a dozen agents entered the facility at 12.48am.

The operation concluded by approximately 3am, when a convoy of vehicles left the site.

If charged and convicted in connection with the allegations, Markle could face a prison sentence of between ten and 12 years, according to the report.

However, the investigation remains ongoing, and the discovery of material does not by itself establish his guilt.

Separate Allegations Have Also Surfaced in the Philippines

The Mexican investigation is not the only case involving allegations against Thomas Markle.

After relocating to the Philippines in early 2025, he was reportedly investigated there following a complaint made to police by his own son, Thomas Markle Jr, 60.

According to The Sun, the younger Markle allegedly discovered “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sexual abuse images among boxes his father had shipped to the Far East.

Markle has strongly denied the accusations.

He previously dismissed the allegations as “sick lies”.

On Saturday, Samantha Markle’s boyfriend, Mark Phillips, rejected the suggestion that the material could be used to prosecute him.

“The only statement that you’re going to get is that Thomas Markle doesn’t even have fingerprints on the stuff in the Philippines,” he said.

“He didn’t even ever touch it the whole time it was there, he can’t be charged.

“Markle never had it in Mexico either… The FBI has no jurisdiction in Mexico. This is all bulls***.”

Thomas Markle Sr also told the Daily Mail: “I had no storage units in Rosarito!”

His denials stand in contrast to the allegations under investigation, which authorities will need to assess through the appropriate legal process.

Meghan’s Statement: ‘My Choice Was to Protect Our Children’

Last week, Meghan addressed the controversy in a statement expressing distress over the allegations and concern for any children who may have been harmed.

“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,” she said.

She explained that a letter had been sent to the Metropolitan Police and its Royalty and Specialist Protection team in 2018 before subsequently being shared with her.

“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,” Meghan said.

The statement also addressed years of speculation surrounding her estrangement from Thomas Markle and her decision to keep him away from her children.

“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 added that she had trusted the authorities to protect other families as well.

“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 Duchess of Sussex has not commented on the latest developments in Mexico.

The central questions now extend beyond the allegations themselves: why the 2019 letter was not escalated to other authorities, whether the protection team fully understood its significance, and what investigators will ultimately establish about the material seized from the storage unit.