AMANDA PLATELL: Is this the moment we should all feel sorry for Meghan? I have been among her harshest critics... but she may have been harbouring a deeply disturbing secret all along

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Cite

Platell, A. (2026, October 23). AMANDA PLATELL: Is this the moment we should all feel sorry for Meghan? I have been among her harshest critics... but she may have been harbouring a deeply disturbing secret all along. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/debate/article-16233943/AMANDA-PLATELL-feel-sorry-Meghan-harshest-critic-disturbing-secret.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-10-24 · by Amanda Platell analysis
Content note This article describes abuse of a child.

Quick Summary

Amanda Platell writes about how recent allegations against Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle, might change public perception of her actions towards him. Thomas Markle is under investigation for possessing child sex abuse images, and his son claims to have handed evidence to police. In response, Meghan stated that troubling allegations were made against her father in 2018, which influenced her decision to restrict his contact with her children. Platell expresses sympathy for the Sussexes amid this new development as they attempt to reintegrate into British society.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-24, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is under investigation in the Philippines for alleged possession of child sexual abuse images. The allegations were first reported by British tabloid The Sun on October 23, 2026, after Thomas Markle Jr., one of his sons from a previous marriage, claimed to have found "hundreds" of such images stored in computers and mobile phones left behind at their father's former home in Cebu, Philippines.

Meghan released a statement expressing her distress over the allegations. She stated that she had been aware since 2018 of troubling allegations against her father which were shared with her by London police. The letter containing these allegations was sent to the Metropolitan Police’s Royal and Specialist Protection unit.

Thomas Markle vehemently denied the accusations, calling them "sick lies" in an interview with the Daily Mail from a rehabilitation center in Florida where he is recovering from a leg amputation. He stated that he could never do what he's being accused of and described it as the worst thing anyone could say about him.

The FBI has also announced they will investigate any related allegations involving federal violations of US law, although Markle remains based in the United States and denies all charges.

Meghan’s statement emphasized her decision to distance herself from her father was primarily aimed at protecting her children. She hopes these recent developments can clarify her actions taken over the years for the safety and well-being of her family. The Metropolitan Police is currently investigating whether the letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle was indeed passed on to Meghan as claimed. FBI investigators are conducting their own probe into any potential federal violations related to US law concerning child abuse materials.

Written for “Meghan Markle’s Father Investigated” on 2026-10-24, grounded in this article and the 31 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 103495 · logged 2026-10-24

Story

📰 Meghan Markle’s Father Investigated
Entertainment · 32 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Prince Harry's wife Meghan 'deeply distressed' by allegations her father had indecent images same event · 100%
Toronto Star
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 3 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles discuss Meghan's reaction to allegations about her father having child sexual abuse images found at his home in the Philippines.”
Duchess of Sussex ‘deeply distressed’ over child sexual abuse image claims against father same event · 95%
The Guardian · 0.88 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 27% hedged 6 of 22 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles discuss the same accusation against Thomas Markle Sr involving child sexual abuse images and Meghan's reaction to it.”
Meghan's eight-year rift with her estranged father: The duchess' troubled relationship with Thomas Markle as he faces child abuse images probe same event · 95%
Daily Mail · 0.88 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 15% hedged 6 of 40 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles discuss the investigation of Thomas Markle regarding child sex abuse images found by his half-brother at his home in the Philippines, which distresses Meghan.”
Meghan Markle’s estranged dad Thomas investigated over vile trove of child porn – discovered by his ‘disgusted’ son: report same event · 95%
New York Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 43% hedged 3 of 7 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles report on the same investigation of Thomas Markle Sr. for alleged possession of child pornography discovered by his son in the Philippines.”
Meghan’s estranged father investigated over alleged child abuse images: report same event · 95%
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 12% hedged 3 of 24 📰 publisher trust 61
“Both articles report on the same investigation involving Thomas Markle Sr. for allegedly possessing child abuse images discovered by his son in the Philippines.”
Meghan ‘deeply distressed’ by allegation her father had child abuse images same event · 95%
Evening Standard
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 15% hedged 2 of 13 📰 publisher trust 65
“Both articles discuss Meghan's reaction to allegations against her father Thomas Markle regarding child abuse images and refer to a similar timeframe and context.”
Thomas Markle allegations live updates: Meghan’s dad investigated for child porn different event · 95%
New York Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 33% hedged 8 of 24 📰 publisher trust 66
“While both articles discuss Thomas Markle Sr. being investigated for child pornography in his Philippines home, Article B focuses on an opinion piece about sympathy towards Meghan given this news, whereas Article A reports the factual details of the investigation.”
Meghan Markle ‘distressed’ as Philippines probes father over child sexual abuse images same event · 95%
South China Morning Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 25% hedged 1 of 4 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles discuss the investigation into Thomas Markle over child sexual abuse images in the Philippines and mention Meghan Markle's distress regarding the situation.”
Why royal family may distance themselves from Meghan Markle, Prince Harry in hour of need amid her dad’s child porn allegations different event · 95%
New York Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 29% hedged 6 of 21 📰 publisher trust 66
“The articles discuss related issues concerning Meghan Markle's father but describe different aspects of the situation and do not appear to be reporting on a single identical incident.”
Meghan Markle responds to claims father had child abuse images different event · 95%
National Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 29% hedged 7 of 24 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles describe different perspectives on the same news topic but do not report the exact same incident happening at a precise moment.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
52
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
6 of 52 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
32
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-24 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 7233 article(s) · 15 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 15 correction(s)
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Clarifications and corrections

Who wrote this

Amanda Platell
2 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Could it be that the ‘devoted’ Dad who raised her after her mother left, had a darker side?
2026-10-24 · assertive framing · AMANDA PLATELL: Is this the moment we should all feel sorry for Meghan? I have been among her harshest critics... but she may have been harbouring a deeply disturbing secret all along
🔮 Truly, it must have been a wonderfully happy time for the couple - the sea of Union Jacks was so dense you could hardly see the pair of them.
2026-10-14 · assertive framing · Harry and Meghan are set to cash in on their royal connections like never before. They seem to think we're all stupid - but their 'cunning' plan will never work: AMANDA PLATELL
Also by Amanda Platell
Harry and Meghan are set to cash in on their royal connections like never before. They seem to think we're all stupid - but their 'cunning' plan will never work: AMANDA PLATELL
2026-10-14 · Daily Mail
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Blighty FBI Philippines Royalty and Specialist Protection the Metropolitan Police

Subjects

Meghan PERSON · 5× Markle PERSON · 2× Philippines GPE · 2× Sussexes PERSON · 2× Sydney Sweeney PERSON · 2× Taylor Swift PERSON · 2× Thomas Markle PERSON · 2× Blighty GPE · 1× Thomas Markle Jnr PERSON · 1× the Metropolitan Police ORG · 1×

Narrative

Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse's trusty terrier, Ted, who died earlier this year The law is to be changed so Valdo Calocane – who killed Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, 65, in Nottingham – will be stripped of his benefits in psychiatric hospital, including his Universal Credit payment worth up to £800 a month.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-24
🔮 Could it be that the ‘devoted’ Dad who raised her after her mother left, had a darker side?
2026-10-24 · Daily Mail
AMANDA PLATELL: Is this the moment we should all feel sorry for Meghan? I have been among her harshest critics... but she may have been harbouring a deeply disturbing secret all along · assertive framing

Claims (52 extracted, 6 hedged)

Meghan is greeted with headlines that her father, Thomas Markle, is being investigated over ‘sickening child sex abuse images’. asserted
father → greet → images
Her half-brother, Thomas Markle Jnr, claimed he discovered the stash at his father’s Philippines home and handed it to police. asserted
he → claim → police
Is this the moment we should actually feel sorry for Meghan? asserted
we → feel → Meghan
Could it be that the ‘devoted’ Dad who raised her after her mother left, had a darker side? uncertain
mother → raise → side
And could this explain why she dropped him and refused to let him see her children? uncertain
him → explain → children
Had she, while being pilloried as a cruel uncaring daughter, been harbouring a deeply disturbing secret – that her father was a paedophile? asserted
father → pillory → secret
Certainly, her statement yesterday implied as much. asserted
statement → imply → much
She said: ‘In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. asserted
letter → say → Police
That letter was subsequently shared with me. asserted
letter → share → me
It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father.’ asserted
It → make → father
She added that this explained her decision not to allow Markle to have any contact with Archie and Lilibet. asserted
Markle → add → Archie
It was, she said, ‘to protect them’. asserted
she → say → them
'I have been among their harshest critics and yes, I have accused them – perhaps wrongly with the benefit of hindsight – of abandoning Meghan’s father,' writes Amanda Platell Meghan as a youngster, with her father Thomas Markle, who is now being investigated over ‘sickening child sex abuse images’ asserted
who → accuse → images
Crikey, this extraordinary news raises so many more questions than answers. asserted
news → raise → answers
We know Markle is under investigation in the Philippines and the FBI is considering taking action. asserted
FBI → know → action
We know, too, that he is protesting his innocence. asserted
he → know → innocence
What an unholy mess, and what an awful moment for the Sussexes as they try to relaunch themselves in Britain. asserted
they → try → Britain
I have been among their harshest critics and yes, I have accused them – perhaps wrongly with the benefit of hindsight – of abandoning Meghan’s father. asserted
I → accuse → father
Right now, I feel sorry for them, although given the new family turmoil, none of us should rule out another Netflix series. asserted
none → feel → series
Call me a traitor but was Thursday’s dreary episode of The Celebrity Traitors, when the outcome of the murder in plain sight was finally revealed after a few contestants sat for ages until someone yawned, a complete, er, yawn fest? asserted
someone → call → ages
I wouldn’t know. asserted
I → know → ?
I fell asleep. asserted
I → fall → ?
Sydney Sweeney wears a more modest outfit than her latest lingerie pictures at the Christy premiere in October last year Ahead of Halloween, Sydney Sweeney promotes her lingerie line, in gothic bondage gear, replicating the ‘corpse bride’ from Tim Burton’s 2005 film of the same name. asserted
Sweeney → wear → name
Too eye watering to print here but it inspired me to buy the kit. asserted
it → water → kit
Nothing would better see off those pesky kids knocking on my door than being greeted by a woman like me wearing it. asserted
Nothing → see → it
Taylor Swift performs on stage during the Academy Museum 6th Annual Gala in California Taylor Swift was mesmerising alongside fellow billionaire Kim Kardashian at the Academy Museum Gala to raise money for charities. asserted
Swift → perform → charities
The event was co asserted
event → co → ?
So why did it raise just $14million? asserted
it → raise → 14million
That’s risible compared to their collective wealth. asserted
That → ’ → wealth
As E.T. might have said, time for them to discover the true meaning of ‘be good’. uncertain
them → say → meaning
He was preparing for Sunday’s US Grand Prix, but it was a lavish affair so his absence does invite one to ask if this really is true love – or an opportunistic relationship so they can both make even more millions. asserted
they → prepare → millions
As HMRC writes off £13billion in lost taxes after businesses collapsed under Labour, Andy Burnham appears on Gogglebox, has a flu jab (showing off his bee tattoo signalling solidarity with the Manchester Arena bomb victims), invites veterans to No10 North to make a contribution to the Poppy Appeal and goes jogging in shorty shorts. asserted
Burnham → write → shorts
Jolly good, but is Eyelashes Andy becoming nothing more than a photo opp? asserted
Andy → become → opp
No worries chez Platell after the Government told us to stock up on essentials such as tinned baked beans, in the event of a national emergency. asserted
Government → worry → emergency
My attic is still stacked with supplies from the 2020 Covid lockdown. asserted
attic → stack → lockdown
The picture of Harper kissing her father entitled ‘Road trip with Daddy’, shared on Instagram Weary as we may be after being presented with yet another ‘private’ Beckham Instagram photograph, the picture of Harper kissing her father entitled ‘Road trip with Daddy’ will strike a chord with many, given how precious is the relationship between a father and his daughter. Yet, call me a cynic but I can’t help feeling this is also an advertisement for Brand Beckham. uncertain
this → kiss → Beckham
Many fear the rioting in Paris will be replicated in Blighty. asserted
rioting → fear → Blighty
Brits prefer to queue as has been calmly demonstrated by the thousands who have stood in the rain to see the Bayeux Tapestry. asserted
who → prefer → Tapestry
Instead of riots, we have a few pro-Palestinian agitators putting a poster of a bomb strapped to a loaf outside a London Gail’s bakery in protest at the group’s links with Israel. asserted
we → have → Israel
Customers looked on bemused, chomping on their incomparable almond croissants. asserted
Customers → look → croissants
…and 12 more, not listed.
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