Meghan Markle‘s estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., has been arrested over allegations he possessed child sex abuse images.
The 82-year-old was arrested in Florida on Friday in connection with allegations that emerged last month, as the Daily Mail first reported and CBS News confirmed.
“A Florida man was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint alleging he kept child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. “Thomas Wayne Markle, 82, of Lakeland, Florida, is charged with one count of possession of child pornography.”
A DOJ press release said that the FBI searched the storage units, which Markle Sr. had kept since 2008, and “seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books that contained suspected CSAM.” The affidavit describes several images, two of which “depict an adult man – whom a witness identified as Markle – with a nude prepubescent girl. The third image depicts a nude prepubescent girl in a room that appears to be part of a motel chain in the Philippines,” the release continued.
Markle Sr. is expected to appear in court in Tampa, Florida on Friday.
Last month, a report in The Sun claimed that child sex abuse images had allegedly been found in his former home in the Philippines by his son, Thomas Markle Jr. Markle Sr. vehemently denied the allegations to the Daily Mail, calling them “a bunch of lies” and adding: “I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.”
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In a statement at the time, the Duchess of Sussex said she was “deeply distressed” at the news. She claimed that in 2018, a letter about her father was sent to the Metropolitan Police and its Royalty and Specialist Protection unit and was “subsequently shared” with her.
“It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” Meghan said. “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. I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.”
The Metropolitan Police said at the time that they were “undertaking enquiries internally in an effort to confirm” that a letter had been passed from their officers to Meghan. It is understood that the Met has not and is not currently investigating Thomas Markle Sr.
Meghan has been estranged from her father since 2018, when he failed to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. She was escorted by King Charles instead. Thomas Markle has never met her and Prince Harry’s two children. Last year, she sent a letter to him while he was in the hospital getting his left lower leg amputated due to a blood clot.
“Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children,” Meghan concluded.
The FBI also issued a statement last month saying that they were “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.”
Representatives for Meghan Markle did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment on Markle Sr.’s arrest. Variety has also attempted to contact Markle Sr. for comment.
From Variety US