Thomas Markle released on bond and placed under home detention after child sexual abuse material charge

Updated 6 Nov 2026, 22:37 · First published 6 Nov 2026

Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been arrested by the FBI in Florida and charged with possessing child sexual abuse material.

The 82-year-old was detained on Friday at a senior living home in Lakeland, Florida, on a federal criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles. He made his first appearance before a federal judge in Tampa later the same day.

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What the complaint alleges

According to the US Department of Justice, the complaint alleges that Markle kept child sexual abuse material in two storage units in the Los Angeles area that he had rented since around 2008. Agents searched both units under court-approved warrants and seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books.

Investigators say the case began in October, when officials learned that a person had signed an affidavit describing suspected abuse material found among Markle’s belongings in the Philippines. Agents then traced the storage units in California.

The FBI worked with its Los Angeles and Tampa field offices and with law enforcement officials based in Mexico, Manila and the Marshall Islands.

A criminal complaint contains allegations only. Thomas Markle is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. He has previously denied the claims, calling them “sick lies”.

What officials said

Meghan and Harry: “not commenting”

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they were “not commenting on the arrest at this time”.

Last month, after the first reports of an investigation, Meghan said she was “deeply distressed”. She also said police had told her in 2018 of “disturbing allegations” about her father, adding: “The breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine.”

A long estrangement

Meghan and her father have been estranged since 2018, when he pulled out of her wedding to Prince Harry at Windsor Castle after admitting to staging paparazzi photographs. He later gave a string of interviews criticising the couple. Markle, a former Hollywood lighting director, had been living in the Philippines before returning to the US.

Court appearance

Markle appeared in federal court in Tampa on Friday, represented by a court-appointed lawyer, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment. He did not enter a plea. A judge released him on bond hours after his arrest and placed him under home detention with electronic monitoring. He is not allowed to travel outside the Middle District of Florida or the Central District of California, and returned to the assisted living facility in Lakeland where he was arrested. His arraignment in California has not yet been scheduled and is expected in several weeks.

His son, Thomas Markle Jr., said: “I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.” Buckingham Palace was not expected to comment.

What happens next

The case will now move to federal court in California, where the charge was filed. Prosecutors could seek an indictment from a grand jury before his arraignment. We will update this article as the case develops.

If you are worried about a child, you can contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000. Child sexual abuse images found online can be reported anonymously to the Internet Watch Foundation at iwf.org.uk.