Meghan Markle’s Father Thomas Markle Arrested in Florida on Child Abuse Material Charges

Federal agents arrested Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, near Tampa, Florida, on Friday morning in connection with child sexual abuse material, Fox News reported.

Arrest at a Florida Care Home Follows Discovery in the Philippines

According to the Department of Justice, federal authorities took Thomas Wayne Markle into custody at Maravida Senior Living, a specialized elderly care facility in North Lakeland, Florida. Yahoo News reported that a federal criminal complaint alleges he kept child sexual abuse material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units rented for nearly two decades.

The arrest follows an investigation prompted by Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., who reportedly found hundreds or thousands of child sex abuse images in boxes while clearing out their father’s former home in Cebu, Philippines, after his father left the country in May. Fox News noted that Markle Jr. reported the images to Philippine police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Philippine authorities previously named Markle Jr. a person of interest in the inquiry, as reported by USA Today, though Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla stated he was not treated as a suspect.

Prior to his arrest, Markle Sr. denied the allegations to the Daily Mail on October 23, calling them a “bunch of lies” and “sick,” and stated that the computers had not been in his possession since he left Mexico in January 2025.

Meghan Markle Highlights Years of Estrangement and Protective Measures

In response to the developments, Meghan released a statement expressing that she was deeply distressed and that her thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed. She revealed that in 2018, a letter containing troubling allegations against her father was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection, and subsequently shared with her.

On October 24, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that in January 2019, it received a letter containing claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom. Meghan explained that the distance from her father and her choice to bar him from having contact with her children—Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet—was enacted solely to protect them. Meghan reportedly wrote to her estranged father to inform him of the child abuse allegations and state that she would not allow him to meet his grandchildren.

Ongoing Responses from Federal Authorities

The U.S. Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and federal prosecutors in Tampa did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Guardian. The Associated Press and CBS News also reported the arrest through sources familiar with the matter.

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