Philippine court expected to authorize search of Thomas Markle materials

A court in the Philippines is expected to issue a search warrant authorizing police officers to examine materials taken from the residence of Thomas Markle, the BBC reported. The father of the Duchess of Sussex returned to the United States earlier this year after residing in Cebu. The BBC stated that the seized items allegedly contain child pornography, which Markle has strongly denied possessing. [1][4]

According to reports by the New York Post, Markle's granddaughter, Noelle Rasmussen, stated that the child porn allegations against her 82-year-old grandfather were not a surprise to her because there was always something off with him. [2][3]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, the allegations first surfaced after his son, Thomas Markle Junior, accused him of possessing child sex abuse material in the Philippines. The allegations were reported to police authorities and the FBI following the discovery of boxes in Cebu. FTMQ News also reported previously that the Philippine interior minister stated signs suggested Markle could be a sex offender as forensic analysis of recovered images continued. [8][9]

Markle is an American retired television lighting director who earned a Chicago Daytime Emmy Award in 1975 for Made in Chicago and two Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on General Hospital in 1982 and 2011. He is the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. [5][7]