Thomas Markle, Meghan’s Father, Placed on House Arrest After Federal Child Pornography Charge

Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was placed on house arrest Friday after federal agents arrested him in Florida on a charge of possession of child pornography, the Department of Justice announced.

Markle made an initial appearance in the United States District Court in Tampa on Friday, where a magistrate judge ordered his release on house arrest with electronic monitoring. He is not allowed to travel outside the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of California, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. He has not entered a plea, and his arraignment in California has yet to be scheduled, but it will likely take several weeks, prosecutors said.

“Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who leads the Los Angeles-based U.S. Attorney’s office.

What investigators say they found

The Justice Department said Markle allegedly kept sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades. FBI agents searched the units after obtaining warrants and seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books that contained suspected child sexual abuse material, the department said.

Citing Markle’s advanced age, physical condition and apparent memory issues, the court also ordered him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before the case proceeds, court records show. If convicted, he would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, the Justice Department said.

The charge is an accusation, not a conviction. Markle is presumed innocent unless proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

How the case came to light

The investigation began after Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., told Britain’s The Sun newspaper that he had found indecent images of underage children in storage boxes and on computer hard drives at his father’s house in the Philippines and reported him to authorities in that country. Markle Jr. said he also reported his discovery to U.S. authorities.

In October, the FBI told CNN it was aware of the allegations involving Markle Sr., a U.S. citizen, and would “provide support, as appropriate, to the Philippine authorities” and investigate any related allegations of federal violations of U.S. law.

Markle has denied the allegations. “I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me,” he told Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper in an interview.

When asked for comment, a spokesperson for his daughter Meghan told CNN they had no comment at this time. In October, Meghan said she was “deeply distressed” by a report that her father had a trove of images depicting child sex abuse.

Markle has been estranged from Meghan and did not attend her wedding to Britain’s Prince Harry in 2018. Meghan said in 2021 that she mourned the loss of the relationship with her father, telling Oprah Winfrey, “I grieve a lot … I’ve lost my father.”

Reporting based on coverage by CNN and the Wall Street Journal.