At a recent movie premiere in New York, Scottish actor Alan Cummings found himself at the center of a major controversy after publicly airing intimate text messages he claims were exchanged between himself and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. Speaking to reporters on the red carpet, Cummings expressed surprise and dismay over the inappropriate messages, displaying screenshots that showed Markle allegedly propositioning him for money in exchange for an affair.

According to Cummings, Markle first reached out to him “out of the blue” a few months ago via text. While skeptical it could be real at first, the messages quickly took an alarming turn as Markle directly asked Cummings if he would lend her $50,000, offering an ongoing intimate relationship as payment in return.

In the displayed texts, Markle is seen initiating contact and stating she is “in a bit of a financial bind” and hoping Cummings could “help” her. When he responds with disbelief over how she got his number, Markle assures it’s really her and presses that she is “truly desperate” and can “make it worth [his] while.” She proposes a secretive recurring arrangement to compensate for the loan.

As Cummings becomes increasingly uncomfortable, he reiterates he is not interested in that type of relationship and advises Markle to seek help elsewhere. But Markle insists, begging and promising to “make it worth every penny.” When Cummings firmly rejects the proposition, stating it is inappropriate, Markle has an angry reaction, telling him he will “regret” refusing her request before the messages end.

Reeling in shock, Cummings told reporters he felt compelled to come forward, disturbed by Markle’s behavior and concerned for how she may try to leverage her influence and status moving forward. He dismissed any notion of fabricating the story or texts, asserting he has no reason to do so.Ads

Royal experts were quick to condemn Markle’s alleged actions, with many calling her propositions a “serious breach of trust” and “shameful abuse of power.” Her pattern of pursuing wealthy, influential men for personal gain was also called into question.

While representatives for Markle dismissed the texts as fake, aimed to smear her reputation, Cummings has insisted on their authenticity and voiced fears over facing retaliation for airing them publicly. As the scandal grows, the public and observers are left demanding a full investigation into Markle’s alleged misconduct and apparent willingness to exploit connections for financial and intimate gain.

For now, more questions than answers remain around the disturbing allegations. If proven genuine through verification of the texts, it could have immense ramifications for Markle and further erode public trust and opinion of her conduct. At the same time, Cummings also faces uncertain challenges as a target speaking out against such a globally prominent figure. As scrutiny intensifies on all sides, only a transparent review of facts can hopefully bring clarity to the troubling matter.