A close source tells PEOPLE that the Duchess of Sussex is “surrounded by loved ones and is feeling supported right now”

NEED TO KNOW

• Meghan Markle is “really cut up” amid allegations of child pornography and abuse against her estranged father, a friend tells PEOPLE
• There is also “a slight sense of relief that this is all coming out,” the friend adds, expressing hope
  that “a proper investigation can take place”
• A close source adds, “There is a lot to process emotionally. But she’s doing okay. She’s holding up”

Meghan Markle is “holding up” amid allegations of child pornography and abuse against her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr.

“It’s been really difficult. She’s really cut up,” a friend tells PEOPLE. “She has young children, and I think that, alongside the victims, is just weighing on her mind. It’s traumatic.”

There is also “a slight sense of relief that this is all coming out,” the friend adds, expressing hope that “a proper investigation can take place.”

Meghan and Prince Harry are receiving updates while on a family holiday during their children’s — Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5 — school break.

A source close to the Duchess of Sussex tells PEOPLE, “There is relief because this is something she’s carried for some time. But I don’t think anyone could have imagined the extent of what’s now emerged.”

“There is a lot to process emotionally. But she’s doing okay. She’s holding up,” the close source adds. “She’s surrounded by loved ones and is feeling supported right now. She has great people around her getting through this moment.”

The Sun reported on Oct. 22 that the Duchess of Sussex’s half-brother, Thomas Jr., had alerted the “cops” and FBI to his alleged discovery of “hundreds, if not thousands” of child pornographic images at Thomas Sr.’s home in Cebu, Philippines, where the father and son moved in early 2025.

The following day, the outlet published a follow-up story claiming to have seen a copy of a letter sent to the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC) of the Metropolitan Police that alleged Thomas Sr. had sexually abused a child and claimed that he had admitted to traveling to the Philippines and Thailand to abuse children. It later emerged that the letter was written by Thomas Sr.’s ex-wife Roslyn Loveless.

Meghan referenced a letter to police in her Oct. 23 statement shared with PEOPLE reacting to the allegations against her father. The police force confirmed on Oct. 24 that they received a letter in 2019 and passed the information onto the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. (While Meghan stated the letter was sent to police in 2018, creating a disconnect in the timelines, a representative for the Duchess of Sussex told PEOPLE, “In recalling events from more than seven years ago, without the benefit of a diary entry or contemporaneous record, it is understandable that she may have been mistaken by a few months.”)

“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. 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,” the Duchess of Sussex said.

Meghan said in her statement that she was “deeply distressed” and that her thoughts “are with any children who may have been harmed.”

“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,” the Duchess of Sussex continued. “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 fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.”

Meghan has been estranged from her father since the lead-up to her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. Thomas Sr. did not attend the wedding amid controversy over staged paparazzi photos and reported health problems.

At the time that the Duchess of Sussex was made aware of the allegations against her father, the claims had not been substantiated, and Meghan was advised that speaking publicly about them could jeopardize any potential investigation, a source familiar with the situation told PEOPLE. The Duchess of Sussex was also concerned about the legal implications of publicly repeating unproven claims, the insider further explained.

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In an interview with the Mail on Sunday published on Oct. 25, Thomas Sr. acknowledged that he paid for sex with adult women in the Philippines, but he denied ever having sex with anyone under the age of 18 or possessing child sexual abuse material. He also denied the child pornography allegations made by his son in a statement to The Daily Mail, calling them “bulls—” and “a bunch of lies.”

“I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me,” he told the outlet, reportedly from a rehab center in Florida. “I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of… It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”

Thomas Jr. called his father’s denial “incredible” when he later spoke with The Sun. “I’m sure the huge piles of ­evidence I’ve taken to the police today will reveal the truth once the police experts examine it,” he told the outlet. “I would never have handed it all to the police if I wasn’t 1,000 per cent confident that it has nothing to do with me.”

On Saturday, Oct. 24, The Sun reported that Meghan sent her father a letter while he was hospitalized in the Philippines in December 2025 following his leg amputation after a blood clot, in which she allegedly told Thomas Sr. that she was aware of the sexual abuse allegations made against him. She allegedly wrote that she would never allow him to meet her two children and that it would be the last time he ever heard from her.

The outlet also reported that the Duchess of Sussex arranged for hospital management to take the letter to his bedside, ask him to sign a form confirming receipt of the letter and record him accepting it.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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