Thomas Markle Arrested Over Allegations He Possessed Child Sexual Abuse Images

Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by federal agents in Florida on Friday morning on charges related to child sexual abuse material. There was a previous investigation of his home earlier this year.

Markle was taken into custody in Tampa, Florida, according to The Associated Press. Sources who confirmed the 82-year-old’s arrest were not at liberty to share more information about the investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The arrest was preceded by the reported discovery of child sexual abuse images in Markle Sr.’s home in the Philippines earlier this year, according to The Sun. Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr. (the duchess’s half brother), reportedly found the materials on his father’s phone and computers while cleaning out Markle Sr.’s home and reported it to the police.

Markle Sr. was living in the Philippines when he had a stroke and had to have his left leg amputated in 2025. The medical issues prompted his return to the United States.

Meghan married Prince Harry in 2018, and her father was not at the wedding. In October, she issued a statement that she was “deeply distressed” over the allegations against her father.

“I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed,” she said in a statement on October 26.

Meghan and Harry are parents to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. They recently moved back to the United Kingdom for their children to attend U.K. schools. Meghan said that a letter with “troubling and disturbing allegations against [her] father] was sent to London police in 2018.

“I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” Meghan said of the letter. “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.”

Markle Sr. denied the allegations against him in a statement to The Daily Mail.

“I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of,” Markle Sr. said.

In October, an FBI official told ABC News that the FBI was “aware of the allegations and will provide support, as appropriate, to the Philippine authorities. We will also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of U.S. law.”