Philippine police obtain warrant to search Thomas Markle's devices

Philippine police have obtained a warrant to examine devices seized from the former home of Thomas Markle, father of the Duchess of Sussex.

Earlier this month, it was reported that hundreds of images of child sexual abuse allegedly belonging to Thomas Markle Sr., 82, had been found at the property in the Philippines.

Four boxes of material, including computers, phones, hard drives and old videotapes, were handed to police by Meghan Markle's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., last week. However, officers in Cebu needed a court warrant before they could examine the items.

Thomas Markle Sr., who is now in the US, has strongly denied the allegations made by his son, describing them as "sick lies".

Cebu Regional Prosecutor Graeme Elmido told the BBC that Thomas Markle Jr. was "adamant" that the case should be investigated, and that he felt his father "has to answer for it".

Last week, the Sun on Sunday reported that Thomas Markle Sr.'s ex-wife, Roslyn Loveless, had sent a letter to the Metropolitan Police about the 2019 allegations, which was shared with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the time.

Loveless, who has since died, is the mother of Meghan Markle's two half-siblings. She divorced Thomas Markle Sr. in 1975, before he married the Duchess' mother.

The Duchess has been estranged from her father since 2018. The BBC understands she broke contact with him last year, telling him she and the authorities knew he had abused young girls.

In a statement shared on Friday, Meghan Markle confirmed the existence of the letter and wrote: "I am deeply distressed... my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed."

She said she hoped it could be understood why she had largely cut off contact from her father and did "not allow him to have contact with our children".

Speaking to the Sun, Thomas Markle Jr. also apologised to Meghan Markle for initially siding with her father during their long-running estrangement, and said he had "been protecting the wrong person for the past nine years".

Thomas Markle Sr. moved to the Philippines last year after he had a series of strokes, and lived in Cebu until May.

He is reportedly now living in a Florida rehabilitation centre learning to walk again after having his leg amputated.

The police say they must identify how the material was obtained before they can consider any criminal charges.

Campaigners describe Cebu as a known hotspot for the sexual exploitation of children, and the authorities here say they take any such allegations very seriously.