Police in the Philippines have been handed a warrant to examine material found on Thomas Markle's digital devices after he was accused of child sex offences by his son last week.

The father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is at the centre of an international probe after Thomas Markle Jr claimed to have found evidence of child sex abuse material at his home in the country.

Markle Sr, 82, is accused of having a 'sickening' collection of child abuse images, including videos of girls no older than ten or 11 involved in sex acts. 

Thomas Jr claims to have found the material while looking through his father's boxes in July this year to find a phone for his fiancée, Rose, after his father had returned to the US for medical treatment. 

He allegedly also found a 15-minute video of naked girls on his father's old cellphone, before turning on a computer and seeing a screensaver containing 'hundreds' of indecent images.

He said the photos included pictures of naked girls, and images depicting children as young as toddlers.

One 35mm photograph reportedly shows a bearded man resembling Mr Markle having sex with a young Asian girl. 'I have never been in a photograph like that,' Markle Sr said on Saturday. 

His son, 60, reported the images, found in four large storage boxes, both to the American FBI and local police in the city of Cebu in the Philippines while his father remains in a rehabilitation centre in Florida, where he travelled for medical treatment after a stroke led to him having his left leg amputated. 

Markle Sr denies the allegations, calling them 'sick lies' and has said he will do 'whatever it takes' to clear his name. 

Today it was reported a court in the Philippines has issued a warrant allowing police in the country to examine the material.

Philippine interior minister Jonvic Remulla previously said the forensics data is expected to be completed in a week, but 'right now all signs point to a possible sex offender of the grossest kind'. 

A statement from Meghan last week revealed she had first been made aware of 'troubling and disturbing' allegations about her father in 2018 – in a letter handed to her by the Met Police, written by Markle's late first wife, Roslyn Loveless. 

Authorities in the UK had previously told the duchess that allegations made about her father in a 2018 letter sent to Scotland Yard and subsequently shared with her by police were being investigated, it is understood.

The Met Police said it is investigating the claims. It is understood that the force has not previously investigated Thomas Sr and is not currently probing him.

In a statement, the Duchess of Sussex said: 'I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed. 

'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.

'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.

'I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.

'Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.'

The Philippines' Anti-Trafficking and OSAEC (online sexual abuse and exploitation of children) task force 'is currently investigating the matter'.

And the FBI in the US is also understood to be considering launching its own investigation after his son reported his findings to the agency. 

It is understood that the FBI has reached out to authorities in the Philippines and is poised to launch a probe in collaboration with them. 

Meghan has been estranged from her father for years, but sent him a letter while he was in hospital last year.

It reportedly said he would not hear from her again, or meet her children, citing that she and authorities were aware he had abused young girls.