Event: The Duchess of Sussex

The Duchess of Sussex has said she is “deeply distressed” over accusations involving child sexual abuse images against her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, and revealed she was made aware of “disturbing allegations” against him in 2018 by the Metropolitan police.Meghan issued a statement after the Sun newspaper published claims that her half-brother Thomas Markle Jr alleged he had found a stash of images belonging to their father at his former home in the Philippines.In an interview with the Daily Mail, Markle Sr denied possessing child sexual abuse images, calling the accusations “sick lies”.It is understood that authorities in the UK previously told Meghan that allegations made about her father in a 2018 letter sent to Scotland Yard, and subsequently shared with her by the police, were being investigated.Meghan was informed by the Met of the allegations in the summer shortly after her wedding, it is believed.In a statement through her spokesperson, Meghan said: “I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed.“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan police and Royalty and Specialist Protection [Rasp]. That letter was subsequently shared with me. It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.“I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father, and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them. I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.“Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be…