Authorities in Cebu, Philippines, have formally obtained a court-issued search warrant that grants them full legal authority to forensically examine a cache of digital and physical media seized from the former Cebu residence of Thomas Markle Sr, the 82-year-old father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The development comes one week after Markle Sr’s estranged son, Thomas Markle Jr — Meghan’s half-brother — voluntarily handed over four boxes of evidentiary materials to local law enforcement, including dismantled desktop computers, mobile phones, external hard drives, and vintage VHS videotapes, with accompanying verified footage capturing the handover process. Initial reports earlier this month alleged that hundreds of files depicting child sexual abuse were discovered at the Cebu property, where Markle Sr resided from last year until May 2024, following a series of debilitating strokes. He has since relocated to a rehabilitation facility in Florida, U.S., where he is recovering from a recent leg amputation and undergoing mobility therapy. Markle Sr has vehemently rejected all the allegations leveled against him, dismissing them publicly as baseless, “sick lies” manufactured by his son. Cebu Regional Prosecutor Graeme Elmido confirmed to the BBC that Thomas Markle Jr remains unwavering in his push for a full, transparent investigation, stating he believes his father “has to answer for it” in a court of law. The case traces back to 2019, when Roslyn Loveless — Thomas Markle Sr’s ex-wife and the deceased mother of Thomas Markle Jr and Meghan’s other half-sibling — submitted a formal letter detailing the allegations to London’s Metropolitan Police, a document that was shared with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the time. Meghan, who has been estranged from her father since 2018, confirmed the existence of that 2019 correspondence in a public statement released Friday, noting that she severed all contact with Markle Sr last year after concluding both she and relevant law enforcement bodies were aware of claims that he had abused underage girls. “I am deeply distressed… my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed,” the Duchess said, explaining that the allegations are the core reason she has barred Markle Sr from any contact with her own young children. Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Thomas Markle Jr issued a public apology to Meghan for previously aligning with their father during the years of family rift, admitting he “had been protecting the wrong person for the past nine years.” Local Philippine law enforcement officials noted that before any formal criminal charges can be filed, investigators must first trace the origin and chain of custody of all the seized materials to confirm their ownership and how they were accessed. Child protection advocates have long flagged Cebu as a high-risk hub for transnational child sexual exploitation, and local authorities have emphasized that they prioritize all allegations related to child abuse with the highest level of urgency.