Mexico searches Markle storage unit; father not charged

As of 7:54 a.m. ET, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026

Mexican authorities searched a storage unit rented by Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as part of an investigation into alleged child sexual abuse material, the prosecutor's office in Baja California state told AFP on Monday. Markle, 82, has not been charged and has denied all claims against him.

The prosecutor's office said it had received an anonymous tip about the existence of such material in the unit, AFP reported. Investigators said the unit's owner told them Markle stopped paying rent in 2024 but that his belongings remained secured inside, according to AFP.

Authorities reported finding "magazines from Asia" dating back 20 years, without giving further details, as well as computer equipment that was taken for further investigation, AFP reported.

Inquiries in the Philippines and Britain

The Mexican search adds to inquiries elsewhere. Last week, police in the Philippines said they were investigating a laptop found alongside images of child abuse at a former home of Markle, AFP reported. Markle lived in Mexico before moving to the Philippines in 2025 and later returned to the United States, according to AFP.

In Britain, London's Metropolitan Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over its handling of a 2019 letter containing allegations about Markle, BBC News reported on Oct. 29. The force said the referral concerned "the decision not to inform other law enforcement agencies, and the decision to pass the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex," according to the BBC. The Met said it intended to refer the claims to "relevant overseas law enforcement agencies."

The letter was written by Markle's first wife, Roslyn Loveless, who died in 2024, the BBC reported. The Met said the letter "did not actually contain any information specifically related to security matters" but did contain "a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom," according to the BBC.

Denials and Meghan's statement

Markle has strongly denied the allegations, describing them as "sick lies," the BBC reported. His daughter Samantha has dismissed the claims against him as "fake," according to the BBC.

Meghan said in a statement that she was "deeply distressed" by accusations that her father had possessed images of child abuse, AFP reported. She said she had seen a letter making similar accusations in 2018 and that "it made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father, and I was given assurances that these were being investigated," according to AFP.