Fans are rallying behind Meghan Markle following the arrest of her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., by the FBI on Friday, November 6th, in connection with allegations involving child sexual abuse material.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the 82-year-old was arrested in Florida and charged with one count of possession of child pornography. The arrest came after FBI agents reportedly discovered approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books containing suspected child sexual abuse material, in two Los Angeles-area storage units rented by Thomas Markle Sr. He previously denied the allegations, and at the time of writing, the charges have not resulted in a conviction.
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Meghan Markle Previously Explained Why She Kept Her Children Away From Their Grandfather
The arrest comes just weeks after the As Ever founder spoke out about the allegations against her father, which came to light in October after her half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., reportedly alerted authorities to suspected child sexual abuse material among their father's belongings at his former home in the Philippines.
The Duchess of Sussex subsequently explained why she had chosen to keep her and Prince Harry's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, from ever meeting their grandfather.
Speaking to People, the mom-of-two shared a statement in response to the allegations, revealing that she was "deeply distressed" by the news, adding: "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. 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 statement continued.
It went on: "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."
Fans Rally Around Meghan Markle Following Her Father's Arrest: 'I Feel So Sorry For Her'
Many fans rushed to offer Meghan their support following the news of her father's arrest, with several expressing sympathy for the Duchess and her family.
"This is accountability and doing what's right despite! I feel so sorry for her," wrote one fan on Instagram, followed by crying and heart emojis. "I feel sorry for her to have a father like this," agreed a second, as a third echoed: "I feel so sorry for Meghan and her family, may God protect them."
"I'm so sorry Meghan. You have been hunted down for years and it's been DISGUSTING to watch," commented a fourth. "I feel so bad for her," wrote a fifth, adding the hashtag "#teammeghan."
A sixth fan referenced the controversy surrounding Prince Andrew, writing: "We love you Meghan! People don't bother to hate Kate and William when Prince Andrew's scandal happened." "So sad, you cannot help who you are connected to unfortunately," added a seventh.
Others felt that the allegations shed new light on Meghan's estrangement from her father, which has been the subject of criticism for years.
"People attacked her for years for not having a good relationship with her paternal family and now look! She was right!" exclaimed an eighth fan. "My goodness, this is awful," wrote a ninth.
"This woman has been wrongly vilified for years and is owed a huge apology," insisted a tenth, while an eleventh simply wrote: "You ALL owe her an apology." "She's been so brave to speak out against him," praised a twelfth.
"Fully explains why H&M completely broke off all contact with him after police shared with them the accusations. Good for them. And shame on people who criticized her for not talking to her father. She knew why," commented a thirteenth. "I still don't understand why people are blaming her? No one knows what to expect from their parents. Leave her be," added a fourteenth, followed by a crying emoji. "Did the queen get this backlash for what Andrew did? Of course not. Leave Megan alone," demanded a fifteenth.
However, not everyone was sympathetic, as some social media users questioned why Meghan hadn't spoken out sooner, given that she had previously been made aware of allegations against her father. Some also wondered whether speaking out earlier could have helped protect other children.
"She should have said what she knew about her father and what was being done about it. That way everyone would know why she didn't want any contact with him," argued one Instagram user.
"She knew and she did not say anything? And people here are happy about it?" asked a second, followed by the eye rolling emoji, as a third critic said: "How about other children in danger? Why not speak up?!" "Why didn't she report it when she found out, to protect the other children?" asked a fourth in agreement.
