Duchess of Sussex's dad denies sexual assault

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's estranged father has broken his silence on allegations he sexually assaulted a child.

Thomas Markle Sr. spoke to the Daily Mail on Saturday, vowing to "do whatever it takes" to clear his name.

"I have never had sex with anyone under the age of 18," Thomas told the outlet.

Markle's son, Thomas Markle Jr., claimed to The Sun earlier this week that he allegedly found child sex abuse material at his father's home in the Philippines.

Markle Sr. vehemently denied the accusations, branding the claims as "sick lies."

His daughter, the Duchess of Sussex, claimed in further revelations that she received a letter sent to the UK's Metropolitan Police in 2018 that alerted her to the allegations, prompting her estrangement from her father. The Sun reported that the letter also accused Thomas Sr. of sexually abusing a minor.

"She never said a word to me about this letter accusing me of such terrible things," Thomas Sr. told the Daily Mail.

"If Meghan or anyone else had come to me in 2018 and told me about the letter, I would have had a chance to defend myself."

Thomas' eldest daughter, Samantha Markle, has come to her father's defence, telling the outlet, "Dad is incredibly fragile both physically and mentally.

"I think it's incredibly cruel of my brother to do this to him when he's 82 and probably close to the end of his life."