Noelle Rasmussen, the granddaughter of Thomas Markle Sr. and niece of Meghan Markle, has stated that she perceived something amiss about her grandfather during her childhood, remarks that come as authorities in the Philippines examine child abuse allegations against him.
In an interview with The Telegraph published on Tuesday, October 27, Rasmussen described an instinctive unease that she did not consciously recognize at the time. "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 told the publication.
The Telegraph reported that its conversation with Rasmussen took place five days after Thomas Sr., the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, was publicly accused of keeping child pornography materials at his home in the Philippines. Thomas Sr. has rejected the allegation that he possessed such images, as well as historical accusations of child sexual abuse, describing them as "sick lies." No criminal charges have been filed against him.
Rasmussen, whose mother is Samantha Markle, said the emergence of the claims did not startle her. "It doesn't surprise me," she told The Telegraph. "The more and more I think about it, it just doesn't … I don't know why it's not a surprise."
She elaborated that any early signal may have gone unnoticed. "It might have been something I just didn't register at the time, or subconsciously put any thought behind. Even as a child, it may have just been something that I registered that I didn't know [I had]," Rasmussen told the outlet.
Samantha Markle has publicly defended her father amid the allegations, according to the report.
The interview also addressed a letter written by Rasmussen's late grandmother, Roslyn Loveless, who was Thomas Sr.'s former wife and who died in 2024; the pair were married from 1964 to 1975. Rasmussen was 16 years old when the letter was composed. Meghan, 45, has said she received the "troubling and disturbing" letter in 2018; it set out allegations concerning her father and had originally been sent to the U.K.'s Metropolitan Police and Specialist Protection.
"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 told The Telegraph. "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."
Us has sought comment from representatives for Thomas Sr.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. https://www.childhelphotline.org/
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Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a pop culture junkie and loves to share what's happening in Hollywood and what trends are taking the world by storm.
