{"id":675271,"date":"2026-11-13T05:48:21","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T05:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/675271\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T05:48:21","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T05:48:21","slug":"devastated-meghan-markle-and-mother-doria-ragland-lean-on-each-other-amid-thomas-markle-srs-child-sex-scandal-as-royal-expert-raises-troubling-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/675271\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Devastated’: Meghan Markle and mother Doria Ragland lean on each other amid Thomas Markle Sr’s child sex scandal as royal expert raises troubling questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

A “devastated” Meghan Markle has turned to her mother Doria Ragland for support as the fallout from her estranged father Thomas Markle Sr’s arrest on alleged child sex offences continues to unfold.<\/p>\n

The Duchess of Sussex, 45, and her mother, 70, are said to be in constant contact following the shocking allegations against the former Hollywood lighting director.<\/p>\n

Markle Sr, 82, was arrested at his assisted living facility in Lakeland, Florida, last week on a federal charge relating to child sexual abuse material allegedly uncovered in storage units he rented in the Los Angeles area.<\/p>\n

The father-of-three was initially granted bail but is now being held in federal custody without bond after allegedly removing his ankle monitor. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.<\/p>\n

According to People magazine, Meghan has been left reeling as details of the allegations against her father emerge while she settles into her new life in the English countryside.<\/p>\n

“She is devastated. This is her dad, someone she grew up trusting and was very close to for many years,” a source close to the Duchess told the outlet.<\/p>\n

“The allegations are devastating for her. There’s a lot of sadness.”<\/p>\n

With thousands of kilometres separating Meghan from her mother, who remains in Los Angeles, the insider said the pair have been relying on regular phone calls to get through the difficult period.<\/p>\n

“Meghan and her mother are very close, they’re supporting each other,” the insider said.<\/p>\n

“She misses her mom since moving to England, and this makes her miss her even more.<\/p>\n

“They’ve been speaking a lot. Being able to talk to her mom helps, even though she wishes they could be together.”<\/p>\n

\"Meghan<\/p>\n

Ragland, a former social worker, yoga instructor and makeup artist, has reportedly been assisting authorities with their investigation since the allegations against her ex-husband became public.<\/p>\n

The source said Meghan was also “prepared to cooperate with authorities investigating the allegations”.<\/p>\n

The Duchess previously broke her silence after her half-brother Thomas Markle Jr first made allegations against their father on October 22.<\/p>\n

\"Things<\/p>\n

In a statement, Meghan revealed she had been made aware of disturbing claims about Markle Sr as far back as 2018, explaining that her decision to cut ties with her father and prevent him from meeting her children with Prince Harry, 42, had been motivated by concerns for their safety.<\/p>\n

“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan police and Royalty and Specialist Protection,” Meghan’s statement read.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.”<\/p>\n

The letter at the centre of Meghan’s statement was reportedly written by Markle Sr’s first wife, the late Roslyn Loveless, the mother of the Duchess’ half-siblings Samantha Markle, 61, and Thomas Markle Jr, 60.<\/p>\n

Markle Sr was married to Loveless from 1964 until 1975, before tying the knot with Ragland in 1979. The couple divorced in 1987.<\/p>\n

\"Meghan<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, royal biographer Tom Bower has raised questions about the Markle family’s history, speculating about what Meghan and her mother may have known about the allegations.<\/p>\n

Speaking to royal commentator Kinsey Schofield on her podcast Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered on Friday, Bower described the situation as “puzzling”.<\/p>\n

“I find this whole thing very puzzling because if Loveless, Thomas Markle’s first wife knew about his pedophilia, then why didn’t Daria, his second wife, know about it?” Bower told Schofield.<\/p>\n

“It’s hard to believe that Doria, who was quite sassy, didn’t know about her husband as well as the first Mrs. Markle did.”<\/p>\n

The author of bestselling royal biographies Betrayal and Revenge also questioned whether Meghan’s close relationship with her father during her childhood could shed further light on the scandal.<\/p>\n

“And that brings us to a second issue. Meghan spent 10 years with Thomas, her father, and they had a very close relationship because her mother disappeared for long stretches and she didn’t live with Doria.”<\/p>\n

“And we got to ask ourselves, I don’t know the answer but we got to ask ourselves: did Megan either at the time or thereafter have any suspicions? Did she perhaps realise her father’s penchant for little girls? Because after all, he’s got three different places where he stacked all these ghastly images. Did she have no idea at all?<\/p>\n

“She’s an intelligent woman. She’s a curious woman. Was she not at all suspicious? If not, we’ve not heard about it.”<\/p>\n

\"\u2018It<\/p>\n

Bower did not provide evidence that either Meghan or Ragland knew about the alleged offences before the concerns outlined in the Duchess’ statement.<\/p>\n

The royal author added that there was “so much about this story” still to be uncovered, suggesting the scandal could have wider implications following Harry and Meghan’s return to Britain after six years in the US.<\/p>\n

He claimed the couple’s relocation was part of “why it is relevant” to the royal family.<\/p>\n

“They’ve come back to Britain because they’re bust in America. They’re causing huge problems for the British royal family, which could be very, very damaging in the long term,” he claimed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A “devastated” Meghan Markle has turned to her mother Doria Ragland for support as the fallout from 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