Mexican authorities have raided a storage unit rented by Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan Markle, in a child pornography investigation, prosecutors told Agence France-Presse yesterday.
The prosecutor's office in Baja California, one of 31 states in Mexico that borders the United States, said it launched the search after receiving an anonymous tip regarding suspected child pornography. According to the investigation, the property owner stated that Markle stopped paying rent on the unit in 2024, but the space had remained sealed until law enforcement intervened.
Officers searching the facility discovered magazines of Asian origin dating back roughly 20 years, though authorities did not specify what was inside them. Investigators also seized computer equipment from the unit and transferred the devices to the federal prosecutor's office for examination.
Philippine investigation and previous residences
The raid in Mexico comes after police in the Philippines reported last week that they found child pornography at a former residence linked to Markle in the Southeast Asian country. The 82-year-old retired director of photography lived in Mexico for several years before relocating to Cebu in the Philippines in 2025.
Markle spent his career working in American television, where he worked as a lighting director in Hollywood before retiring and moving abroad. Cebu, where he settled after leaving Mexico, is a major island province located in the central Visayas region of the Philippines.
Markle rejected the allegations of child pornography possession when questioned by the British newspaper the Daily Mail on Friday, calling the claims a pile of lies.
Reaction from the Duchess of Sussex
His daughter Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said on Friday that she was very upset by the child pornography accusations against her father. She stated that she first became aware in 2018 of a letter sent to British police containing disturbing allegations about him, adding that her decision to distance herself from him was motivated by the need to protect her two children.
Meghan and her husband Prince Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, recently returned to live in the United Kingdom with their two children in late August after spending six years in the United States.
The couple stepped back from royal duties and ceased being active working members of the royal family in 2020 amid strained family relations, according to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency. Before their recent relocation, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had resided in California since stepping away from royal life.
