Thomas Markle admits paying for sex, denies child abuse allegations

Thomas Markle Snr, the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has admitted paying for sex in the Philippines while strongly denying allegations that he possessed child sexual abuse material.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, reported by Dailymail, the 82-year-old said he had “never had sex with anyone under the age of 18”.

He admitted that during visits to the Philippines while single, he “slept with prostitutes”.

“I like Asian women but that is not a crime,” he said.

Markle also expressed willingness to cooperate with investigators and allow forensic examinations of his computer.

“If there is anything bad on there it was put there by someone else,” he said.

The comments follow allegations that his son, Thomas Markle Jnr, discovered potentially illegal material among belongings at his father’s former home in Cebu City.

Philippine authorities are investigating the claims, which Markle has dismissed as false. The allegations have not been proven in court.