Meghan Markle’s father was dating much-younger nurse before child porn investigation

See more of our coverage in your search results. Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle, was on the record as dating his much-younger nurse earlier this year, prior to reportedly being investigated over child sex abuse images this week. Thomas, 82, told the Daily Mail in a March interview that he was involved with Rio Canedo, who was 46 at the time and whom he met while recovering from leg amputation surgery in the Philippines. Canedo was working in the town of Cebu, which is where Thomas and his son, Tom Jr. moved to in January 2025. “I never expected to find joy and happiness again at my age. I felt neglected and sad for so many years but now I am enjoying life again,” Thomas told the outlet. Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle, was on the record as dating his much-younger nurse earlier this year, just months before reportedly being investigated over child sex abuse images. BACKGRID He told the Daily Mail in March that he was dating 46-year-old Rio Canedo, who he met in the Philippines while recovering from leg amputation surgery. (The 82-year-old is seen above being wheeled by an airport employee at LAX in Los Angeles.) LionsShareNews / BACKGRID “I know some people will say hurtful things but I don’t care,” he added, acknowledging his and Canedo’s drastic age difference. “I want to talk about this because I never thought I would ever be happy again. I want people to know you’re never too old to find peace and love.” “Haters will hate,” he concluded. “But, to be honest, I don’t give a damn. Life is for living.” He also discussed how the medical care in the Philippines was “wonderful,” saying “There are young trainee nurses here who we call the ‘munchkins.'” Karl Larsen / BACKGRID BACKGRID Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! A report that Thomas is being investigated over child sex abuse images surfaced on Thursday. According to the Sun, Tom Jr. reported his father to police after discovering “hundreds, if not thousands” of the alleged material inside several boxes in Thomas’ Cebu home. He reportedly left the images in storage boxes buried among family “mementos,” which Tom Jr., 60, found while searching for a phone. “When I found this material I was horrified and I had no option but to report my dad,” Tom Jr. said of the content, which allegedly included images of girls around 10-11 years old engaged in sex acts. Karl Larsen / BACKGRID GLH / NGRE / BACKGRID The outlet noted that authorities are prepping to seize the alleged evidence. An insider close to the Duchess of Sussex told the outlet, “Now maybe people will finally understand why she has had nothing to do with her father since 2018.” Thomas and Tom Jr. did not immediately return Page Six’s requests for comment. Reps for Meghan and Harry did not get back to us. Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!