Thomas Markle has been hit with another deeply unsettling development after his granddaughter Noelle Rasmussen broke her silence about the allegations now being investigated by authorities in the Philippines, saying she was not surprised by the claims and recalling that, even as a child, she sensed something was wrong, adding another painful dimension to a family crisis that has once again placed Meghan Markle’s estranged father under an international spotlight.

Rasmussen, the daughter of Meghan’s half-sister Samantha Markle, spoke to The Telegraph after allegations emerged that Thomas Markle Sr. had possessed child sexual abuse material at his former home in Cebu. Her comments were particularly striking because she said that, although she had spent relatively little time with her grandfather, her instincts had left an impression she had never entirely forgotten.

“Maybe it was a vibe that I subconsciously got … something’s not right about a person, and you don’t actively register it. But your body tells you when something’s off,” she said.

She also admitted that the latest allegations had not come as a complete surprise.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Rasmussen said. “The more and more I think about it, it just doesn’t … I don’t know why it’s not a surprise.”

She added that the feeling might have been something she had not consciously understood when she was younger, explaining that “even as a child, it may have just been something that I registered that I didn’t know [I had].”

The Grandmother’s Letter That Refused to Disappear

The revelations have also revived questions about a letter written by Thomas Markle’s former wife, Roslyn Loveless, who died in 2024 and reportedly sent allegations concerning him to British police in 2019.

Rasmussen recalled her grandmother writing the letter when she was 16 and spoke with admiration about her willingness to confront something she believed was wrong.

“I remember her writing the letter … she had guts that I’ve never seen before, and she did not care what would come to her. She would just do whatever she felt was right, and she was incredible,” Rasmussen said.

She added that, in her view, her grandmother would have had a serious reason for putting such allegations in writing, saying: “If she put something in a letter, it’s more than likely what she had seen to be the truth or what she had experienced. It was something that she either saw or heard or believed to be 100 percent true.”

Rasmussen also criticized the handling of the matter, saying: “It blows my mind [that it wasn’t passed over to the FBI]. That is a failure on the police’s part … that is such a failure of the system. It’s embarrassing.”

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed receiving the letter in January 2019 and said it is reviewing how the matter was handled. The force passed the letter to Harry and Meghan’s office but did not share the details with other law-enforcement agencies at the time.

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Philippine Officials Issue a Stark Warning

Philippine authorities have also responded sharply to the case. Talking to The Guardian Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that investigators were examining the material and that a forensic assessment would be needed before definitive conclusions could be reached.

“Right now all signs point to a possible sex offender of the grossest kind,” Remulla said, while stressing the need to be certain before releasing findings. He added that the forensic data would be complete “in a week.”

Thomas Markle has forcefully denied the allegations, describing them as “sick lies” and insisting that he had never had sex with anyone under the age of 18. He told The Independent: “I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.”

He also said: “This is bulls***. It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”

Thomas Markle Jr. has alleged that he discovered hundreds, potentially thousands, of abusive images on devices left at his father’s former home and reported the matter to authorities. Thomas Markle Sr. disputes the accusations, and the investigation remains ongoing.

For Meghan, who has said she was deeply distressed by the allegations and had kept her children away from her father to protect them, the latest developments bring renewed attention to a painful estrangement that has lasted for years.

Her statement said: “I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed.”

She added that her distance from her father and her decision not to allow him contact with Archie and Lilibet were “for one reason: to protect them,” expressing hope that “justice will be fully served” and that the priority would remain “the safety and protection of innocent children.”

The allegations have not been proven, and Thomas Markle denies wrongdoing. But with his granddaughter now speaking publicly, Philippine authorities conducting their investigation and questions being raised about the earlier police response, the family crisis has entered another serious chapter — one that will ultimately depend on evidence and the findings of investigators, rather than accusations alone.