The Daily Mail says it has referred allegations to the FBI after finding sexually explicit material involving children in a storage unit rented by Thomas Markle, the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, near his former home in Mexico.
The material reportedly includes books about pedophilia, magazines depicting child sexual abuse and loose photographs of naked Asian women, some of whom appear unusually young.
The Daily Mail traveled to Rosarito Beach to investigate Markle’s former life there after being told that he had rented and later abandoned a storage unit.
Receipts reviewed by Our News Outlet indicate that Markle rented the 5ft-by-10ft unit in 2017, six years after moving to Rosarito, roughly 10 miles from the US border.
Our reporter was given access to the unit after being told Markle had fallen behind on his lease payments for approximately two years.
The reported collection includes magazines published in Asia and alleged to depict child pornography, as well as family keepsakes, photographs and correspondence.
The Daily Mail also found 35mm negatives showing what appear to be voyeuristic photographs of children on a beach. Other negatives reportedly depict a woman bound or “hogtied” and being directed by a man during a photo session.
The discovery came as police obtained a warrant to examine alleged child-sex images reportedly found among Markle’s possessions at his son’s home in the Philippines, where Markle lived after leaving Rosarito in January 2025.
The Daily Mail says it alerted the FBI after finding sexually explicit books, magazines and photographs—including images of Asian women who appear unusually young—in a Mexican storage unit rented by Thomas Markle
About 20 boxes were reportedly stored at the site, including books about pedophilia and magazines alleged to show children being sexually abused
Earlier this week, Filipino official Jonvic Remulla said the 82-year-old former Hollywood lighting technician could be a “sex offender of the grossest kind.” Remulla said the available information suggested that a serious crime may have occurred.
The inquiry began after Thomas Markle Jr alerted the Philippine National Police to the alleged material.
Markle denies any wrongdoing.
The reported discovery in Mexico, approximately three miles from Markle’s former home, adds another dramatic development to a case in which he could face between 10 and 12 years in prison if charged and convicted.
Markle was living in Rosarito when his relationship with Meghan deteriorated. Before her 2018 wedding, he was exposed for secretly working with a paparazzo to stage photographs, despite Prince Harry’s appeals for the media to leave his future father-in-law alone.
Most of the photographs found in the roughly 20 storage boxes appear to date from the period when Markle was in his 40s or 50s. He was 43 when he and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, divorced in 1987 after eight years of marriage.
Nearly half of the 31 black-and-white prints, each measuring about 10 by 8 inches, appear to show the same girl. In one photograph, Markle—bearded and wearing a polo shirt and jeans—sits on a hotel bed beside her, holding a cigarette in his right hand and looking toward the camera.
The girl appears relaxed and is smiling. She is shown wearing a white lace top, a white belt and dark jeans while holding a small handbag.
One undated photograph reportedly shows Markle fully clothed on a bed with his arm around a young Asian woman. She appears alone and naked in several other images
The storage unit reportedly contains more than 50 videotapes, including titles such as “Boys – Brother and Sister – Russian XX” and “Manila Nites”
In other photographs from the same room, she is shown naked and leaning forward, wearing a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant.
A further 16 black-and-white prints reportedly show other naked women. There is no evidence that Markle had sexual contact with any of them.
The unit also contains more than 50 videotapes bearing titles including “Boys – Brother and Sister – Russian XX” and “Manila Nites.” Their contents have not been established.
Among the books are titles including Forbidden Sexual Behavior and Morality, The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People and The Invisible Children.
Other titles reportedly include Victorian Children, which contains historical photographs of naked young girls; Young Aphrodites; David Hamilton’s Private Collection; and Hollywood Lolitas. A soft-cover book titled Le Fairy, published in the Far East, reportedly contains nude photographs of girls who appear prepubescent.
A paper plate found in the unit has the words “DARK WEB” written in red ink beside several URLs.
Seven hard drives reportedly removed from computers were also found there.
The unit contains an old computer tower with a note taped to it reading, “Overheated… Virus!”
The Daily Mail was told that Thomas Markle Sr rented the unit in 2017 and stopped paying for it in 2024
Some of the books reportedly address pedophilia and include titles such as Hollywood Lolitas
Another collection reportedly includes Forbidden Sexual Behavior and Morality, The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People and The Invisible Children
The computer tower also carried instructions for using WinCleaner, a program designed to erase information from hard drives, together with an activation code.
Four USB drives, two digital cameras dating from the early 2000s and two child-oriented cameras were reportedly found in the unit, along with an old Apple computer.
It remains unclear what information, if any, is stored on the devices.
Markle did not respond to several requests from Our News Outlet for comment.
A source told the publication that Markle visited the unit several times a month during the first years of the lease, bringing some belongings in and removing others.
He was last seen there in March 2024, when he renewed the lease for three months. He has not reportedly returned since.
According to a source, neither Thomas Markle Jr nor anyone else visited the unit.
Markle is currently staying at a rehabilitation facility in central Florida, where he is recovering and relearning to walk after having his left leg amputated in the Philippines 11 months ago.
The Daily Mail reportedly found VHS tapes, including one marked “Manila Nites.” Their contents remain unknown
An old computer tower was found with a note reading “Overheated Virus!” alongside digital cameras and flash drives. The contents of the devices are unknown
The unit reportedly contained instructions and an activation code for WinCleaner, a program that erases information from hard drives
A paper plate reportedly bore the words “DARK WEB” in red ink beside several URLs
Shortly afterward, exclusive photographs published by Our News Outlet showed Markle receiving a letter from Meghan that cut him off from contact with his grandchildren.
The letter reportedly said Meghan knew allegations had been made that her father abused young girls and that he would not meet Archie, seven, or Lilibet, five.
Last week, Markle acknowledged paying for sex in the Philippines while he was single. “I never had sex with anyone under the age of 18,” he said. “I like Asian women but that is not a crime.”
He also strongly rejected his son’s allegation that he downloaded child-sex images onto computers and mobile phones shared with authorities, calling it “the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.”
After relocating to Mexico, Markle, a former lighting director on shows including General Hospital and Married… with Children, lived privately in a rented property inside the gated San Antonio del Mar community.
The former property is now being rebuilt.
Residents who spoke with Our News Outlet said Markle was rarely seen, apart from occasional trips to an expatriate bar, a convenience store and Walmart.
“Frankly, he seemed to live like a hermit. Nobody in all the years he was here really got to know him,” one local said.
Receipts reviewed by Our News Outlet reportedly show that the Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father rented the Rosarito Beach unit after moving from Los Angeles to Mexico
Thomas Markle, who worked as a lighting director on television shows and soap operas, moved from Los Angeles to Rosarito in 2011. He is pictured in 2018
General views of Thomas Markle’s former home in Rosarito, Mexico, about 10 miles south of the US-Mexico border
Markle left the Philippines in May for a rehabilitation center in Florida, leaving his belongings in Cebu with his son, Thomas Jr, who had been caring for him.
The Sun reported last week that Thomas Jr, 60, discovered “hundreds, if not thousands” of alleged child-sex images in four boxes and reported the matter to Filipino investigators and the FBI, both of which are said to be investigating.
One 35mm photograph reportedly shows a bearded man resembling Markle having sex with a young Asian girl. Markle has denied being the person depicted, saying he has “never been in a photograph like that.”
Thomas Jr said: “When I found this material I was horrified and had no option but to report my dad. I have supported, cared for and helped him for years, but that stops now. I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.”
He later added: “I’m so, so sorry Meghan. I now know I have been protecting the wrong person for the past nine years. Having seen what I’ve seen, I believe the man I’ve been defending and caring for is a monster.”
Following his allegations, Meghan said she learned about claims involving child sexual abuse in 2019 after being contacted by British police.
She said officers told her the “troubling and disturbing” allegations were being investigated and advised her that speaking publicly could compromise any legal proceedings.
The Daily Mail visited Samantha Markle’s Florida home to ask about the contents of her father’s Mexican storage unit. Her boyfriend, Mark Phillips, answered the door; Samantha was visible in the background but declined to comment.
Phillips said: “The only statement you’re going to get is that Thomas Markle doesn’t even have fingerprints on the material in the Philippines. He never touched it while it was there, so he can’t be charged.
“Markle never had it in Mexico either. The FBI has no jurisdiction in Mexico. Thomas Markle Sr hasn’t lived in the United States for 10 years. Even if there was bad material, the statute of limitations ran out five years ago. This is all bulls**t.”
Additional reporting by Andrea Noel and Emma James
Books and images involving children reportedly found among Thomas Markle’s stored possessions
The books reportedly found among Thomas Markle’s possessions include a photographic collection assembled by a convicted child abuser and a study of pedophilia that has since been criticized as minimizing abuse.
The titles discovered in the Mexican storage unit have prompted questions about Markle’s interest in material involving sexualized children and illegal acts, although the significance of the collection has not been established.
One book, Victorian Children, published in 1972, contains images of partially clothed youngsters in suggestive poses.
The book was co-authored by English photographer Graham Ovenden, known for explicit portraits of young girls. Ovenden was convicted in 2013 of abusing children as young as six during the 1970s and 1980s.
After his conviction, galleries including the Tate and the Victoria and Albert Museum removed Ovenden’s work. In 2015, a judge ordered that his personal collection of paintings and photographs be destroyed.
Another title, Young Aphrodites, is a photographic companion to the 1963 Greek film of the same name, directed by Nikos Koundouros.
The film follows a 12-year-old village girl who is pursued and ultimately raped by a shepherd in ancient Greece.
The character was played by Kleopatra Rota, who was 16 during filming. The production depicts her partially naked and suggests that she came to accept the assault.
In the 1962 book Forbidden Sexual Behavior and Morality, also reportedly found in the unit, sexologist Robert Masters devotes an entire chapter to pedophilia.
Later reviews have criticized the book for downplaying the emotional trauma experienced by victims of child sexual abuse while discussing the number of men attracted to underage girls.
The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People, written by Irving and Amy Wallace in 1981, catalogues celebrities and provides detailed accounts of their reported sexual behavior.
Its index categorizes subjects under headings including “prostitutes, ordinary and exotic,” “incest,” “baby fetish” and “men who enjoyed girls 16 years old or younger.”
In its section on silent-film star Charlie Chaplin, the authors describe his relationships with young women and allege that he pursued actresses both professionally and sexually, including his second wife, Lita Grey, who first attracted his attention when she was six.
Child and adolescent prostitution is examined in The Invisible Children, another book reportedly found among Markle’s belongings.
The 1984 work by investigative journalist Gitta Sereny describes young runaways who turn to prostitution for money and children forced into the sex trade.
The 1961 book Stews and Strumpets also examines the history of sex work, tracing it from early tribal societies through ancient Greece and Rome.
Nude and partially nude images of young girls appear prominently in Hollywood Lolitas: The Nymphet Syndrome in the Movies. Markle reportedly had at least two copies, one of which was allegedly among material removed by police in the Philippines.
Marianne Sinclair’s 1998 book is described as a gallery of cinema’s most famous “nymphettes.”
Recent reviewers, however, have criticized the book for failing to address the exploitation of young actresses, including Brooke Shields, who appeared nude on screen at age 12.
