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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s fight over U.K. security could be impacted by the allegations against her father, Thomas Markle. 

“The question would be, will someone target Meghan Markle because her father is being accused of being a pedophile?” Simon Morgan, former Met Police Bodyguard to the British Royal Family and founder of Trojan Consultancy, recently told Page Six.

Markle has been accused of possessing material depicting child abuse. His son, Thomas Markle Jr., reported him to the authorities after he said he found the disturbing photographs and video among his father’s possessions in the Philippines. The elder Markle has denied the allegations of CSAM, calling them “sick lies.” 

For years, Meghan and Harry have been pushing for increased security in the United Kingdom. They’ve lobbied RAVEC, the committee that makes decisions about royal security arrangements, to increase their level of protection, which was downgraded after they stepped back as full-time working royals. While living in the U.S., they paid for their own security, while official security arrangements were handled on a case-by-case basis during visits to Harry’s home country. But now that the Sussexes are back on U.K. soil, there have been renewed calls for them to receive armed protection. So far, RAVEC has yet to restore the couple’s protection. 

However, it’s possible that the accusations regarding Meghan’s estranged father could change things.  

“Certainly, RAVEC would only look at it if its intelligence led, what is the chatter on social media, what is the dark web saying in relation to this particular allegation, has there been an increase in negative correspondence to the Sussexes and how is this being perceived amongst the public,” Morgan said.

“Does this change the threat and risk picture to the Sussexes? You cannot discount it, but are there credible threats rising from the publicity in relation to this allegation, are the Sussexes lives at risk of harm? That’s the way this will be approached,” he continued.

“You have to establish the risk of it happening—what does the threat look like, and does it require some form of action,” Morgan added. “That’s the way it would be approached.”

In 2025, Harry lost a legal battle to have his U.K. security restored. 

“I could not say that the Duke’s sense of grievance translated into a legal argument for the challenge to RAVEC’s decision,” Judge Geoffrey Vos said in his ruling, according to The Guardian.

On Tuesday, police in the Philippines said that they found CSAM among material allegedly belonging to Thomas Markle. The material was found at Markle’s home in Cebu City. An investigation into the findings is ongoing, and no charges have yet been filed, The Times reports. Markle has also been linked to a second cache of illegal material in a storage container in Mexico.

How to get help: If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 for free and confidential support.

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