TAMPA, Florida — Thomas Markle Sr., the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was arrested on Friday at a senior care facility in Florida on charges related to the possession of child sexual abuse material linked to storage units in California.
Footage published by The Daily Mail showed Markle, who uses a wheelchair and was in handcuffs, being transported by an ambulance accompanied by federal agents.
The arrest followed a federal investigation into roughly 78 items—including slides, film negatives, and books—recovered from two Los Angeles-area storage units that Markle has rented since 2008, according to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
An FBI affidavit filed in court indicates that some of the recovered images appear to depict Markle with children.
“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” Essayli stated.
Following his arrest in Polk County, Markle appeared in a federal court in Tampa. U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin ordered him released back to a senior care center under electronic monitoring and mandated a psychiatric evaluation to determine if Markle is capable of assisting his appointed attorney and understanding the legal proceedings. Court hearings are expected to eventually transfer to California.
The case came to light after The Sun reported that Thomas Markle Jr. discovered a collection of illicit images while clearing out his father’s former residence in Cebu City, the Philippines, where the elder Markle had been living before suffering a stroke and undergoing a leg amputation earlier this year.
Markle Jr. reportedly notified authorities in the Philippines and the FBI.
“I have supported, cared for him, and helped him for years – but that stops now,” Markle Jr. said. “I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.”
Essayli noted that current seized materials show no evidence of victims inside the United States, though the investigation remains ongoing.
The Duchess of Sussex issued a statement expressing distress over the discovery of materials at her father’s former home and revealed that a letter containing disturbing allegations had previously been sent to London police in 2019.
“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.”
Representatives for the Duchess did not issue further immediate comments, and Buckingham Palace is not expected to comment on the matter involving Markle, who has remained estranged from his daughter since 2018.