Thomas Markle, the father of the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has been arrested in Florida, United States, following allegations that he possessed sexually explicit images involving minors.
The 82-year-old reportedly faces a federal charge of possessing child sexual abuse material. His arrest was announced by the US Department of Justice on Friday.
According to court documents, FBI agents recovered about 78 suspected items from two storage facilities linked to Markle. The materials reportedly included film negatives showing an adult man with underage girls.
Investigators said a witness identified the adult man in the images as Markle. The findings formed part of the evidence presented against him.
US authorities confirmed that Markle was expected to appear before a federal court in Tampa, Florida, for his initial hearing. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli described the allegations as serious and said prosecutors would pursue the case under federal law.
FBI Director Kash Patel also confirmed the arrest, stating that investigators worked with other law enforcement agencies to locate the alleged materials and apprehend the suspect.
The arrest follows an earlier investigation in the Philippines, where authorities reportedly recovered thousands of images involving underage boys and girls from a residence associated with Markle. The investigation began after allegations emerged that he had kept such material while living in the country.
Markle had previously rejected the accusations, describing them as false and disturbing. He is a retired television lighting and photography director.
The development has also drawn attention to his strained relationship with Meghan. The Duchess previously said she was deeply distressed by the allegations against her father after receiving information about the matter.
Meghan and her father have had a difficult relationship for several years, with Markle notably absent from her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. A spokesperson for the couple declined to comment on his latest arrest.
