Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s security situation in the United Kingdom may be affected by the child pornography investigation of her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pressing RAVEC, the UK committee responsible for royal security arrangements, to give them armed police protection while they live in Britain, but a source said their security would only be increased if a credible threat to their family emerged.
“The question is: Will someone target Meghan Markle because her father has been accused of being a pedophile?” Simon Morgan, former Met Police Bodyguard to the British Royal Family, said:
The founder of Trojan Consultancy explained that RAVEC will evaluate a variety of potential threats to determine whether the Sussexes need additional security.
“Of course, if RAVEC is just forwarding intelligence, it looks at things like what the rumors are on social media, what the dark web is saying about this allegation, is there an increase in negative correspondence with the Sussexes and how this is perceived among the public,” he explained.
From there, they would evaluate whether these factors might prompt someone to take action against the Sussexes.
“Does this change the image of threat and risk to the Sussexes? You can’t ignore that, but are there credible threats being raised from the public in relation to this allegation, are the lives of the Sussexes at risk of harm? That’s how the issue will be approached,” he said.
While King Charles, senior royals, the prime minister and former prime ministers receive armed protection due to their positions, Morgan explained that RAVEC assesses the Sussexes’ security needs on a case-by-case basis and relies heavily on intelligence to determine the level of risk and the measures needed to mitigate potential threats.
“You need to determine the risk of this happening; what the threat looks like and whether it requires some type of action,” he said. “That’s the way to approach it.”
Harry and the As Ever founder were petitioning to regain taxpayer-funded police protection in the UK after losing automatic security arrangements when they resigned from royal duties and moved to California in 2020.
The “Reserve” author argued that the lack of armed protection put his family at risk and made it difficult for them to safely visit England with their two children – 7-year-old Prince Archie and 5-year-old Princess Lilibet.
Harry lost his legal challenge in May 2025 after a court upheld the government’s decision to assess his protection on a case-by-case basis during each visit across the pond.
When they returned to the UK in August after living abroad for six years, the couple renewed their push for armed police protection, prompting security committee RAVEC to launch new risk assessments for their family.
After a relatively quiet return to the UK, Meghan and Harry were thrust into the headlines again last month after her father was accused of possessing a cache of child pornography.
Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., claimed that he found the disturbing images and videos in their father’s belongings at his home in the Philippines. Local authorities confirmed that Thomas Sr. is currently under investigation.
Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., claimed that he found images and videos of child sexual abuse in their father’s belongings at his home in the Philippines. Thomas Sr. is currently under investigation by local authorities.
Thomas Sr. He denied the allegations, calling them “disgusting lies”; Meghan, on the other hand, made a statement admitting that she had known about the “extremely distressing” accusations for years.
Markle, who has been estranged from her father since 2018, said in part: “I hope it becomes clear that, despite the distortions of some media coverage over the years, the distance between me and my father and my choice not to allow him to have contact with our children is for one reason only: to protect them.” “I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.”
Philippine authorities issued an update on their investigation Monday night in their first official press conference.
Local police said they were actively working with law enforcement in the United States but were not in contact with authorities in the United Kingdom.
“The investigation is going in the right direction,” Philippine National Police Acting Director Pmgen Wilson Casueta told reporters on Tuesday.
“If there is sufficient evidence [then] “We will file a lawsuit.”
Page Six has reached out to Meghan and Harry’s rep for comment.