How ‘devastated’ Meghan Markle is dealing with dad Thomas’ bombshell child porn arrest — and her plans to assist police
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS DETAILS OF GRAPHIC CONTENT.
Meghan Markle is “devastated” about the child porn allegations against her father, Thomas Markle.
“She is devastated. This is her dad, someone she grew up trusting and was very close to for many years,” a source close to the Duchess of Sussex told People.
“The allegations are devastating for her. There’s a lot of sadness,” the insider added.
The source said that despite her father’s arrest and charges, Markle, 45, is “holding up” and is leaning on her family and friends.
The “Suits” alum is reportedly prepared to assist authorities with their investigation into Thomas — as her mom, Doria Ragland, did.
Ragland, 70, reportedly assisted the FBI in identifying her ex in disturbing child sex abuse photos that were found.
“Meghan and her mother are very close. They’re supporting each other,” the insider told People.
“She misses her mom since moving to England, and this makes her miss her even more. They’ve been speaking a lot. Being able to talk to her mom helps, even though she wishes they could be together,” the source added.
Page Six has reached out to Markle’s reps for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Last Friday, Thomas, 82, was arrested for possession of child porn in Florida, sources confirmed to The Post.
Unsealed court documents unveiled disturbing details about the child abuse material that police uncovered inside storage units belonging to Thomas.
Authorities found “sexually explicit photographs” of Thomas “with prepubescent girls,” according to the criminal complaint filed by special agent Laura Carter last Friday.
Among the disturbing images found inside were photos of a man, whom the FBI identified as Thomas, performing sexually abusive acts on a female who appeared to be prepubescent.
Last Friday, the Markle patriarch appeared in court, where he did not enter a plea.
The judge released Thomas on personal recognizance to home detention at the dementia care facility with electronic monitoring.
However, on Monday, Thomas cut off his ankle monitor and the dad of three was later arrested.
“His pretrial release was revoked, and he has been detained,” a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office in Florida told Page Six.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.