Even the long and often astonishing history of royal scandals contains few episodes as unusual—or as disturbing—as this one.
Investigators said yesterday that the father of the King’s daughter-in-law was a “possible sex offender of the grossest kind”.
The extraordinary allegation was made by the Philippines’ interior minister after authorities began examining digital images of suspected child sexual abuse reportedly recovered from the former home of Thomas Markle, the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex.
The disturbing discovery—reportedly involving an image that appears to show Markle having sex with an underage girl—sent shockwaves 7,000 miles away. Buckingham Palace was meanwhile trying to establish a clear response to what threatens to become another damaging crisis for the monarchy.
At first glance, the deeply personal scandal should have little bearing on the working Royal Family. This week, King Charles and Queen Camilla are due to begin a sensitive Caribbean tour, including attendance at the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda.
That summit was already politically delicate, with the King facing calls for an apology and reparations over Britain’s role in the slave trade. The revelations emerging from Southeast Asia have now introduced an additional complication.
Public sympathy has understandably grown for the King’s daughter-in-law. Meghan has said she ended all contact with her father a year ago after allegedly telling him she knew about claims that he had abused young girls.
In a letter reportedly sent to Markle while he was recovering in a Philippine hospital after having a leg amputated, Meghan is said to have told him that he would never meet his grandchildren, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, and that she would not contact him again.
Public interest in Prince Harry and Meghan has remained intense since their return to Britain in August. Could they eventually rebuild ties with William and Kate? The couples are pictured together in 2018.
The allegations involving her father have prompted a wave of support for Meghan, especially among mothers. Her decision to speak publicly about the distress she felt over the Metropolitan Police’s alleged failure to act when the abuse claims were first raised has intensified that response.
For the monarchy, however, the sympathy now surrounding Meghan presents both a potential opportunity and a serious risk.
Since returning to Britain in August, Harry and Meghan have continued to attract considerable attention despite making only a limited number of public appearances. Their presence alone has generated speculation: Why have they come back? How long will they remain? And could they repair their relationship with William and Kate?
The questions have proved almost limitless. Even the couple’s handful of quasi-royal engagements have demonstrated how easily they can eclipse the official duties of the working members of the Royal Family.
In effect, the Windsors are now being judged, whether they welcome it or not, against the actions of two former working royals. During the couple’s years in California after “Megxit”, many of their headline-making moves could be set aside because of the distance from Britain and the time difference. Their base in the Cotswolds changes that calculation.
For the Royal Family, the proximity can feel uncomfortably close.
The central question, then, is how the King and his family should respond to an issue that is both deeply troubling and intensely personal.
If public opinion has begun to reassess Meghan, some will ask why the Royal Family should not reconsider its own stance towards her and Harry.
Trust remains a major obstacle. From their interview with Oprah Winfrey and the heavily promoted Netflix series to Harry’s memoir, Spare, the couple have appeared to show little regard for family privacy or royal convention. Disputes were aired, accusations exchanged and long-held grievances made public on an unprecedented scale.
Friends of the Royal Family raised the same concern repeatedly this weekend: if relatives reached out, could they be confident the conversation would remain private? Or might it later become public, as happened after Meghan said she had been shown by Scotland Yard in 2019 a letter containing allegations about her father’s supposed conduct?
In a letter reportedly sent while her father was recovering in a Philippine hospital after a leg amputation, Meghan is said to have told him he would never see his grandchildren.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Accused Brighton cocaine dealer from private school faces additional charges
On the other hand, the friends continued, if the royals do nothing at all, will that become a source of resentment and eventual public complaint? The cold Windsors’ failure to communicate with Meghan at a time of such deep personal anxiety could be weaponised by being leaked through Harry and Meghan’s favourite channels.
As a grandfather and a Christian, Charles, I am sure, will offer compassion and support to Meghan. Remember how, as Prince of Wales, he walked her up the aisle on her wedding day when her father pulled out of the ceremony, citing ill health. Knowing what we do now, perhaps Mr Markle’s absence from his daughter’s side at Windsor that day can be seen in a different light.
Harry is not thought to have seen his father since his return. A meeting now looks much more likely.
For Prince William, however, the stakes are higher. He, more than anyone, has little reason to offer a consoling hand. In his book, Harry presented his relationship with the brother he called his ‘arch nemesis’ as strained and difficult.
He even described a physical altercation the pair had, which ended up with William ripping Harry’s necklace and knocking him to the floor.
There’s no doubt that Harry and Meghan’s return to the UK has had a greater impact on William than anyone else in the Royal Family. During the ten weeks or so that his brother has been back in the UK, it has cast an, at times, uneasy spotlight on the Prince of Wales and how he engages with people.
Some figures close to the royals have openly wondered if William’s decision to appear on Graham Norton’s prime-time chat show on Friday night was somehow related to the fact his brother is now back in Britain.
Although he came across well, and his appearance was judged a great success by Press and public alike, it is also tempting to wonder if he would have considered opening up on Norton’s sofa had it not been for Harry’s enduring obsession with unburdening himself to the cameras. Was William, in short, upping his game because of his brother’s presence?
The two have not spoken for more than four years, since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. If they are ever to reconcile, might not this be an unlikely but nevertheless worthwhile opportunity?
Some in William’s circle insist that nothing has changed. As disturbing as the claims swirling around Thomas Markle are, they do not turn the clock back. ‘The Prince of Wales remains deeply hurt by the betrayal of him and Catherine in the book,’ says one.
There are, however, many questions left still unanswered about this wretched affair. In her first intervention last week, Meghan said she had been shown the letter about her father’s alleged sex abuse of children – which was yesterday claimed to have been written by Markle’s first wife, Roslyn Loveless, who died in 2024 – by royal protection officers.
Some figures close to the royals have openly wondered if William’s decision to appear on Graham Norton’s chat show was somehow related to the fact his brother is now back in Britain
At the time in 2019, the Sussexes’ police bodyguards were part of the team that also protected Charles – then Prince of Wales – and Camilla, as well as William and Harry.
It would not be unusual for other members of the squad to have knowledge of such a letter and, if so, might it also have been passed to Charles?
Why nothing appears to have been done to investigate Ms Loveless’s allegations, despite Meghan claiming she had been assured at the time that they would be investigated, remains one of the mysteries of the saga and – rightly – the subject of a new and crucial Scotland Yard inquiry.
The coming days will tell if sympathy alone is enough to force the royals into rethinking their relationship with Harry and Meghan. In some quarters, the duchess’s decision to address the claims about her father directly have seen her favourably dubbed a ‘tiger mom’, fearlessly defending her children in the face of unspeakable allegations of depravity.
Might such comparisons shift the dial when it comes to public attitudes towards her?
Not so long ago, Harry and Meghan were seen not as agents of change but of destruction, whose behaviour could wreck Britain’s affection for the monarchy.
It would be too far-fetched to suggest that they could now be its saviours, but wouldn’t it be something if, out of this dark episode, something tangibly good emerged: a family reconciliation?