Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by the FBI on Friday morning at a senior care facility in Lakeland, Florida, on a federal charge of possessing child sexual abuse material.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, federal agents searched two storage units in the Los Angeles area that Markle had rented since 2008. Investigators seized nearly 80 items, including photographs, film negatives, slides and books containing suspected child sexual abuse material.
A 14-page FBI affidavit describes photographs that appear to show Markle himself with underage girls.
“Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”
Federal officials identified him as Thomas Wayne Markle, 82, of Lakeland, Florida. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the case involved coordination across multiple jurisdictions. “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 said. “Thank you to FBI Los Angeles, FBI Tampa, our Mexico, Manila, and Marshall Islands Law Enforcement Attaches, and our partners who executed quickly in this case.”
Meghan Markle, a former American actress, married Britain’s Prince Harry in 2018, becoming the Duchess of Sussex. The couple stepped back from their roles as working members of the British royal family in 2020. They have two young children and recently moved back to England, where the children have been enrolled in school.
Thomas Markle has denied the allegations, previously describing the accusations against him as “sick lies.”
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