Thomas Markle appears in US court after federal child-abuse-material charge

Thomas Markle Sr, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been arrested in Florida and charged with one count of possessing child sexual abuse material, according to the US Department of Justice and the FBI. Markle, 82, was detained near Tampa on Friday after federal agents searched two storage units in the Los Angeles area. Prosecutors said the units, which Markle had rented for almost two decades, contained approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books allegedly containing illegal images.

The federal complaint alleges that some of the material included sexually explicit photographs depicting Markle with prepubescent girls. The BBC reported that witnesses positively identified him in two images. Authorities said they were still examining the seized material, and a prosecutor told the Associated Press that there was no evidence of victims in the United States based on the material reviewed so far.

Markle made a brief appearance in federal court in Tampa. Reports differed on the immediate details of his detention, but the BBC and Guardian said the court ordered him to remain at his assisted-living facility under home detention and electronic monitoring. No plea was entered, and an arraignment in California is expected to be scheduled.

If convicted, Markle faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. FBI director Kash Patel said agents had moved quickly to locate the material, while Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney for central California, described the allegations as serious and said prosecutors would pursue the case under federal law. The investigation began after Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr, reported alleged images to Philippine police and the FBI.

Philippine authorities have examined electronic devices taken from Markle’s former home in Cebu. Euronews reported that investigators found about 7,500 photographs and one video depicting underage children, although officials stressed that the discovery does not establish who owned, produced or distributed the material. Authorities in the Philippines are also examining Thomas Markle Jr’s possible involvement in a separate part of the inquiry.

He has been described as a person of interest, not a suspect, in that investigation. Reports also refer to possible inquiries involving material in Mexico. Meghan Markle said last month that she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations and concerned for any children who might have been harmed.

She said a letter containing troubling allegations had been sent to London police in 2018. Markle has previously denied possessing such images, calling the accusations “sick lies.” Meghan and her father have been estranged since the period surrounding her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.