The father of the Duchess of Sussex, Thomas Markle, has been arrested and charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, according to US federal authorities.
The 82-year-old was arrested by FBI agents on Friday morning at the Maravida Senior Living care home in Lakeland, near Tampa, Florida. He had recently returned to the state to recover from medical treatment. Photographs showed Markle being escorted away by federal agents in a wheelchair.
Bill Essayli, First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California, announced the arrest on X and published a copy of the criminal complaint. If convicted, Markle faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
According to the FBI, agents searched two storage units allegedly rented by Markle in the Los Angeles area and recovered 78 items believed to contain child sexual abuse material. The evidence reportedly includes three images allegedly depicting Markle with underage girls.
“These allegations are serious and disturbing,” Essayli said. “We intend to prosecute Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said agents had worked with the Department of Justice to locate the alleged material and arrest Markle in Florida.
“Any predator who targets children will have zero safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide,” Patel said.
Markle is expected to appear before the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa.
Investigation began after allegations by his son
The arrest follows reports that Markle was reported to authorities in the Philippines and to the FBI last month by his son, Thomas Markle Jr., 60.
According to the reports, the younger Markle handed over alleged child sexual abuse images that he said he had discovered among his father’s belongings in Cebu City, where an investigation is underway.
A second alleged collection of material was reportedly discovered last week in a storage unit near Markle’s former home in Rosarito, Mexico, during a search by Mexican police.
Markle, a retired television lighting and photography director, has admitted paying for sex in the Philippines but has denied possessing child sexual abuse material. He previously described the accusations made by his son as “sick lies.”
Meghan Markle says she wants justice
The Duchess of Sussex said last month that she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations against her father.
Meghan also revealed that seven years ago she had received a letter through the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection containing what she described as “troubling and disturbing allegations” about her father. She said she had been assured that the matter was being investigated.
The Metropolitan Police has acknowledged that it did not share the details of the allegations with other law enforcement agencies. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is now investigating the force’s handling of the matter.
Meghan said she had wanted to speak publicly after reading the letter but was advised by police not to do so at the time.
Addressing the allegations last month, the duchess said:
“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.”
She added that her hope was that “justice will be fully served” and that the priority would remain the safety and protection of children.
Philippines investigation also names son as person of interest
The case has also drawn attention in the Philippines, where Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Thursday that Thomas Markle Jr. had been named as a person of interest in the investigation into his father.
“There are indications suggesting that the son may also be involved in the crime,” Remulla said at a press conference in Manila. He stressed, however, that Markle Jr. was not being treated as a suspect at that stage.
According to Remulla, investigators had uncovered more than 7,000 photographs and one video involving underage boys and girls of Asian, Latin American and European descent. Some of the children were reportedly as young as 10 or 11.
The investigation is continuing across several jurisdictions, including the United States, the Philippines and Mexico.
Thomas Markle has been charged, but the allegations have not been proven in court. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
