Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Florida and charged with one federal count of possessing child sexual abuse material, US prosecutors have announced.
Key Points
- Thomas Wayne Markle Sr., 82, was arrested on Friday at a senior living facility in Lakeland, Florida.
- He is charged with one count of possession of child pornography in a federal criminal complaint.
- Prosecutors allege he kept the material in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades.
- If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison. He has denied the allegations.
Markle was taken into custody by FBI agents early on Friday at Maravida Senior Living, a specialised elderly care facility in North Lakeland. “Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.” FBI Director Kash Patel also addressed the arrest in a statement on Friday.
What investigators allege
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, which brought the charge, Markle kept child sexual abuse material in two storage units in the Los Angeles area that he had rented since the summer of 2008. Law enforcement learned in October 2026 that an individual had found suspected material among Markle’s possessions in the Philippines. FBI agents executed a search warrant at the two storage units last week, seizing about 78 items, including photographic slides, 35mm film negatives and books containing suspected child sexual abuse material. Court documents state that at least 18 images made from converted negatives appeared to constitute child pornography.
Court appearance and what happens next
Markle made his initial appearance on Friday in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa, at the Sam M. Gibbons US Courthouse, and was released on house arrest. As a condition of his release, he will not be allowed to travel outside the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of California. He has yet to enter a plea. The main criminal case will be handled by federal prosecutors in California. The charge is an allegation, not a conviction: a criminal complaint is an accusation, and Markle is presumed innocent unless proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Markle, a retired television lighting director, has denied the allegations. For the earlier development in this case, see our report on Philippine authorities securing a warrant to search Thomas Markle’s devices, and for Meghan Markle’s recent work, Meghan Markle to co-host Junior MasterChef Australia. More in our Entertainment section.
Sources: USA Today, “Thomas Markle, Meghan’s father, arrested by FBI over alleged child sexual abuse images”; Malay Mail, “Meghan Markle’s father held in Florida over child sexual abuse materials”.