FBI Arrests Meghan Markle's Father on a Federal Child Pornography Charge

Federal agents arrested Thomas Wayne Markle, the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, at an assisted-living home in Florida on Friday morning on a single federal charge of possessing child pornography. The criminal complaint was filed in Los Angeles, where prosecutors allege he kept the material in two storage units he had rented for nearly two decades. He denies the allegations and is presumed innocent.

FBI Arrests Meghan Markle's Father on a Federal Child Pornography Charge

Lakeland, Florida / Los Angeles - Thomas Markle Sr., a retired television lighting and photography director, was taken into custody by federal agents on Friday morning and is due in a Tampa courtroom the same day. The charge against him was filed in Los Angeles, where the complaint says the material was kept.

Arrested at an Assisted-Living Home Near Tampa

Thomas Wayne Markle, 82, was arrested on Friday morning, 6 November 2026, in Lakeland, Florida, near Tampa. The Independent reports he was taken into custody at the Maravida Senior Living care home and was pictured in a wheelchair being led away by FBI agents.

He had been living in the Philippines earlier this year when he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated, the Associated Press reports, forcing his return to the United States. The Los Angeles Times reports that after the emergency amputation he left the Philippines for ongoing medical care, was asked to leave a rehabilitation centre in Florida once news of the Philippines investigation broke, and moved into a nursing home, according to a report published by The Sun.

One Count, Filed in Los Angeles

The charge is a single count: possession of child pornography. The criminal complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California and announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office for that district and the Justice Department. If Markle is convicted, the statutory maximum is 20 years in federal prison.

Bill Essayli, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California, said: "Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls." He added: "These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law."

The prosecution team is Daniel H. Weiner of the Transnational Organized Crime Section, Kevin J. Butler of the Major Crimes Section, and Kathy Yu, Chief of Ethics, Trials, and Compliance. The FBI is the investigating agency.

A criminal complaint contains only allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Four Boxes in Cebu, and a Person of Interest

The Sun first reported that Thomas Markle Jr., 60, found a collection of child sexual abuse images while clearing out his father's former home in the Philippines, describing "hundreds, if not thousands" of images, and that he reported them to Philippine police and contacted the FBI. Four boxes of material, including computers, phones, hard drives and old videotapes, were handed to police, who obtained a warrant to examine the devices. A police spokesperson told CBS News the investigation began after the items were turned over.

Accounts differ on where the discovery happened: the Associated Press and The Sun place it at his father's former home in Cebu City, while The Manila Times reports it happened at a friend's house in Cordova, Cebu. Remulla said Markle Jr. remains in Cebu.

On Thursday 5 November, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla named Markle Jr. a person of interest, saying there were "signs" of involvement but that he was "not yet treated as a suspect." The Guardian reports that his alleged involvement is not thought to be directly linked to the material he handed to police.

What the Affidavit Actually Alleges

The complaint, in the government's own words, alleges Markle 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 affidavit sets out how agents reached those units. In October 2026, law enforcement learned that an individual had signed an affidavit describing the discovery of suspected CSAM among Markle's possessions in the Philippines. A second individual then disclosed that Markle rented a storage unit in the Los Angeles area, and information from the first later led agents to a second. Under judicially authorised warrants, FBI special agents searched both, which Markle had rented since 2008; his most recent payments were made last month by auto-pay.

Agents seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books containing suspected CSAM. The affidavit describes three of the images: two depict an adult man, whom a witness identified as Markle, with a nude prepubescent girl; a third depicts a nude prepubescent girl in a room that appears to be part of a motel chain in the Philippines.

The Two Governments Do Not Quite Agree

The two investigations are running on separate tracks, and their public accounts do not line up. The FBI affidavit says a witness identified Markle in two images with a nude prepubescent girl. Jonvic Remulla, the Philippines' Interior and Local Government Secretary, told ITV News that Markle "does not appear in any of the files allegedly showing child sexual exploitation that have been examined so far." Those are different sets of material in different jurisdictions.

Nor do the headline figures agree. The Guardian reported more than 7,000 photographs and one video recovered in the Philippines; GMA News and The Manila Times put the figure at approximately 7,500 photographs and one video. Remulla described the material as "the most deplorable displays of impunity towards sexual activity that I have ever seen."

Remulla also said investigators had not established whether the devices belonged to Markle Sr., and that the FBI had been asked to help verify ownership of six mobile phones that originated in the United States. The charged location is the two Los Angeles-area storage units. A separate unit in Mexico has been reported by the Daily Mail and ITV News; it is not part of the charge as described.

What Markle Says

Markle denies the allegations. He told the Daily Mail the claims were untrue and "sick lies." CBS News quotes him saying: "I have never downloaded anything like that in my life."

The Los Angeles Times reports that he previously told the Daily Mail he was "shocked" and "hurt" by his son's claims, and that he "could never do" what he is accused of. "It's the worst thing anyone could accuse me of," the newspaper quotes him saying. "I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies."

The Daily Mail, which first reported the arrest, also says he has been moved into a care home for dementia patients, prompting speculation that the FBI may not be able to interview him.

What Meghan Said, and When She Said It

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, addressed the allegations in a statement in October 2026. She said she was "deeply distressed," and that she first learned of "troubling and disturbing allegations" against her father in 2018, when a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection and was later shared with her.

"It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated," she said.

She continued: "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."

She added: "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."

A spokesperson for Meghan did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters reported.

The Met, the Letter, and the Police Watchdog

The letter at the centre of this was written by Markle's first wife, Roslyn Loveless, who divorced him in 1975 and died in 2024, the BBC reports. It was sent to the Met's royal protection team. Meghan says the letter was sent in 2018; the BBC reports the handwritten letter was passed to her in January 2019.

The Metropolitan Police had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the police watchdog, before the arrest. The Met said: "While the letter did not actually contain any information specifically related to security matters, it did contain a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom." The force said an initial review had led to the voluntary referral and that it intended to make further referrals to "relevant overseas law enforcement agencies."

There are reports the Met did not keep a copy of the letter and had to obtain one from the Sussexes. Noel Rasmussen, Markle's granddaughter and a niece of the Duchess, told the BBC she was "deeply troubled by the questions surrounding the Metropolitan Police's handling of the information it received."

Tampa, and the Bureau's Own Account

Markle is due to make his initial appearance on Friday in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa. He was arrested in Florida while the charging document sits in Los Angeles, so two federal districts are involved. A Justice Department official said the FBI had made the arrest, Reuters reported.

It was not immediately known whether he has an attorney who can respond to the allegations, the Associated Press reported.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau "will use every single resource at our disposal to protect innocent kids," adding that "any predator who targets children will have zero safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide." He thanked FBI Los Angeles, FBI Tampa, and law enforcement attaches in Mexico, Manila and the Marshall Islands.

The Part That Is Not in Dispute

Strip away the disputed detail and a set of facts remains uncontested. Thomas Markle Sr. was arrested in Florida on Friday and charged with possession of child pornography. He denies it and is presumed innocent.

He is the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who starred in the US television drama "Suits" and married Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018. The couple have two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and recently moved back to Britain, CBS News reports. Markle Sr. did not attend the wedding, an estrangement the British press has covered ever since.

Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, used the case to appeal for public vigilance: "This case highlights the importance of the involvement of the public, even if it's a family member or close friend, to be vigilant and speak up if they have information on individuals they suspect may be preying on and exploiting our children."

By Jessica Ali, Staff Writer

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Sources: U.S. Department of Justice and FBI statements; the Associated Press; The Independent; CBS News; the Los Angeles Times; Reuters; the BBC; ITV News; The Guardian; GMA News; The Manila Times. Photographs: ABC News; FBI via Wikimedia Commons (public domain); Daniel L. Lu via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Cover: Global 1 News editorial image.