Meghan Markle's father, Thomas, arrested by FBI on charges linked to child sexual abuse material
· Yahoo NewsMeghan Markle's estranged father, Thomas Markle, was arrested in Florida on Friday on charges related to child sexual abuse material, authorities said.
Markle, 82, was arrested by the FBI at a care home near Tampa, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said in a press release. He was charged with one count of possession of child pornography.
Authorities said Markle was arrested after agents discovered approximately 78 items — including slides, film negatives, and books — that contained suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while searching two storage units registered to Markle, at least one of which was in the Los Angeles area.
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"Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls," First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said. "These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law."
The statement said that, in October 2026, law enforcement learned that an individual signed an affidavit regarding the discovery of suspected CSAM among Markle's possessions in the Philippines. Officers then interviewed a separate individual who revealed Markle had rented a storage unit in the Los Angeles area.
This led to the discovery of a second storage unit. Both had been rented by Markle since 2008.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that "Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions."
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"This FBI will use every single resource at our disposal to protect innocent kids – any predator who targets children will have zero safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide," Patel added.
If convicted, Markle would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. He is expected to appear in court in Tampa on Friday.
"This case highlights the importance of the involvement of the public, even if it's a family member or close friend, to be vigilant and speak up if they have information on individuals they suspect may be preying on and exploiting our children," said Patrick Grandy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.
In October, it was reported that Markle was under investigation in the Philippines over allegations that he possessed child sexual abuse material. He has not been charged by police in the Philippines.
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The Sun first reported that his son, Meghan's half-brother Thomas Markle Jr., told Philippine police that after his father left the country in May, he discovered images of child sexual abuse material among boxes at his father's former home in Cebu.
Markle Sr. denied those allegations, telling the Daily Mail on Oct. 23: "It's just a bunch of lies. It's sick."
Markle is believed to have returned to the U.S. in May, after his left leg was amputated in the Philippines in December 2025. In October, The Sun reported Markle moved into Maravida Senior Living care home, a facility which specializes in "memory care."
Meghan Markle released a statement following the claims, saying she was "deeply distressed." She also revealed that in 2019 she received a copy of a letter containing "troubling" allegations about him, which had been sent to London's Metropolitan Police.
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"It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated," she said. British police subsequently said it had not shared the letter with other law enforcement agencies.
According to the Sun on Sunday, Meghan was advised that speaking publicly could jeopardize any potential legal case.
Addressing her decision to keep Archie and Lilibet away from their grandfather over the past few years, Meghan said that "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: "My sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children."
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Meghan reportedly wrote to her estranged father in December 2025 to tell him she was aware of child abuse allegations against him and would not allow him to meet his grandchildren. Meghan reportedly told her father the letter would be the last time he heard from her.