WARNING: This article contains details of abuse
The father of Meghan Markle, wife of Prince Harry, was apprehended by federal agents on Friday morning at a senior living facility in Florida, facing allegations related to child sexual abuse material.
Thomas Wayne Markle, 82, from Lakeland, Florida, has been charged with one count of possession of child pornography, as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The announcement indicated that Markle was taken into custody based on a federal criminal complaint claiming he possessed child sexual abuse material, which included explicit photographs involving himself and underage girls, stored in two rental units in the Los Angeles area for nearly twenty years.
Agents reportedly confiscated around 78 items, among them two images that portray an adult male—identified by a witness as Markle—alongside a naked prepubescent girl.
“Mr. Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions,” remarked FBI Director Kash Patel, noting that the investigation is ongoing.
Patel also expressed gratitude towards FBI partners in Mexico, Manila, and the Marshall Islands law enforcement attachés, who contributed to the investigation.
This image taken on Sunday shows the entrance to a storage facility where Mexican authorities seized a storage unit with belongings of Thomas Markle during a search for alleged child sexual abuse material, on the outskirts of Tijuana, Mexico. (Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images)
Involvement of Thomas Markle Jr.
The statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office supports reports from the British tabloid, the Sun, which claimed that Meghan’s half-brother discovered a set of child sexual abuse images while clearing out their father’s residence in the Philippines.
“According to an affidavit associated with the complaint, in October 2026, law enforcement was informed that an individual signed an affidavit regarding their discovery of suspected [child sexual abuse material] among Markle’s belongings in the Philippines,” the statement indicated. “Information from the initial individual subsequently directed agents to a second storage unit.”
Philippine Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla informed reporters on Friday that Thomas Markle Jr. is also under investigation.
“We have a witness asserting that underage girls were brought to his residence, and we are pursuing this. We are examining whether the 60-year-old Thomas Markle Jr. was involved in the offense,” Remulla stated. “To accuse the father is merely half of the police work.”
Thomas Markle Sr. was not present at his daughter Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. (Phil Noble/Reuters)
Meghan’s Estrangement from Her Father
No immediate response was provided by Meghan’s representatives on Friday.
Meghan Markle recently expressed that she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations. She also disclosed that a letter containing “troubling allegations” about her father had been sent to London police in 2019.
“It contained disturbing and troubling allegations against my father, and I was assured that these were being investigated,” Meghan recounted regarding the letter.
“I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media misinterpretations over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to prevent him from having contact with our children was solely to protect them.”
Thomas Markle Sr. has been charged with one count of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. He was arrested by federal agents outside Tampa, Fla., on Nov. 6.
Meghan, who is an American citizen and known for her role in the television series Suits, wed Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018. The couple has two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Her father, a former lighting and photography director for television, was absent from the wedding, which led to significant media focus on Meghan’s estrangement from him.
On Friday, Thomas Markle appeared in federal court in Tampa, Florida, where he was released under the condition of electronic monitoring.
Future court proceedings will likely be relocated to California “but may not occur for several weeks,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.
If found guilty, Markle could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others, please call 911. For support in your area, you can search for crisis lines and local services through the Ending Sexual Violence Association of Canada database.