Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by federal agents in Florida on Friday and charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, the US Department of Justice has said.
Markle, 82, was taken into custody on Friday morning at an assisted living facility in Lakeland, Florida, and charged with one federal count of possession of child pornography. He was expected to make his first appearance in federal court in Tampa later on Friday. He has not yet entered a plea, and if convicted he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Federal prosecutors allege that Markle kept sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls in two storage units in the Los Angeles area that he had rented since 2008. Agents who searched the units under court-authorised warrants seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books containing suspected child sexual abuse material.
According to the Justice Department, two of the images depict a man whom a witness identified as Markle alongside a nude prepubescent girl. A further image is said to show a nude girl in a room that appears to be part of a motel chain in the Philippines.
The investigation began after Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., told Britain’s The Sun newspaper that he had found indecent images of underage children among his father’s belongings at a house in the Philippines and had reported the discovery to the authorities there. The Philippines Justice Department’s child abuse unit told CNN the matter was under investigation. In October, the FBI said it was aware of the allegations and would support the Philippine authorities and investigate any related violations of US federal law.
Markle has denied the allegations. In an interview with Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper, he called the claims “sick lies” and said he was shocked and hurt that his son was making the accusations. He also said computer equipment at the centre of the claims had not been in his possession since he left Mexico with his son in 2025.
Markle has been estranged from his daughter for years and did not attend her wedding to Britain’s Prince Harry in 2018. In October, the duchess said she was “deeply distressed” by a report that her father had a trove of images depicting child sex abuse. A spokesperson for Meghan told CNN on Friday that she had no comment at this time.
The allegations against Markle have not been proven in court, and no plea has yet been entered.
Sources: Associated Press (https://www.tampabay28.com/news/state/father-of-meghan-markle-arrested-on-charges-related-to-child-sexual-abuse-material-ap-sources-say); CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2026/11/06/us/thomas-markle-arrest?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_meta); US Department of Justice (https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1470686/dl?inline)
