The US Justice Department announced on Friday that Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan Markle, has been arrested for possessing child pornography. The US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California stated that Markle faces one count of possession of child pornography.
FBI agents took Markle into custody at his senior living community in the town of Lakeland, Florida. According to the US Attorney’s Office, Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, which includes photographs depicting himself with minor girls. First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli stated, “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”
The arrest follows investigations into material allegedly found at a storage unit Markle rented in Mexico and at his former home in the Philippines. Authorities in the Philippines began investigating him last month regarding these allegations. Additionally, British police reported last month that they would refer allegations about him to overseas law enforcement agencies after discovering that the claims had not been passed to other authorities when first received.
Markle has denied the accusations, telling the Daily Mail that the claims are untrue and “sick lies”.
Meghan Markle, who married Prince Harry in 2018, stated last month that she was "deeply distressed" by the accusations. The two have been estranged since the period leading up to her wedding in 2018, when Markle pulled out of the ceremony at Windsor Castle just days before it began, citing health problems. Despite the rift, Meghan got in touch with her father in December 2025 after he had his left lower leg amputated in the Philippines.
