Meghan Markle’s Niece Says ‘Something Was Always Off’ About Grandpa Thomas Amid Abuse Allegations
Meghan Markle’s niece, Noelle Rasmussen, reflects on her childhood and her late grandmother’s warnings about Thomas Markle Sr.
Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of child abuse that some readers may find distressing.
Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., has been accused of child s*xual abuse, and he is currently under investigation. Amid the accusations, his granddaughter has come forward with a rather revealing account of her own experience with him.
Meghan’s niece, Noelle Rasmussen, believes she now understands why her grandfather was rarely around during her childhood. Her comments came during an interview with The Telegraph, just five days after Thomas Sr. was accused of serious offences involving children in the Philippines. She said, “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.”
Reacting to the allegations, Rasmussen acknowledged how unsettling the claims were for everyone involved. “It’s a disturbing allegation for everybody involved and everybody reading it. Nobody likes to hear things like that,” she told the outlet. She also expressed support for her uncle for speaking out, saying she was glad he was “whistleblowing”.
Rasmussen is also troubled by claims that the Metropolitan Police failed to act on a warning reportedly made by her grandmother. “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 concerns reportedly date back to 2019, when Roslyn Loveless, Thomas Sr’s first wife and Rasmussen’s grandmother, wrote to the MET. Loveless, who died in 2024, had claimed that Thomas had told her he travelled to the Philippines and Thailand “because 12-year-olds are legal there”.
Rasmussen shared that looking back, it helps certain pieces of her childhood fall into place. She revealed, “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.”
Meghan was reportedly made aware of the claims and subsequently limited contact with her father. The Duchess said in a statement, “I am deeply distressed at the news... In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. 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.”
If you know of any children who are being subjected to abuse, please contact The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at (800) 422-4453
