Meghan Markle's father arrested on charges of possession of child sexual abuse images The US Department of Justice announced that on Friday, November 6, federal agents arrested Thomas Wayne Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan Markle, wife of Prince Harry, in Lakeland, Florida. He faces one federal count of possession of child sexual abuse material. The FBI's investigation began in October 2026 after a witness reported finding a suspicious substance among Markle's personal belongings in the Philippines. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, agents searched Markle's two rented warehouses in the Los Angeles area with a warrant and seized about 78 items, including slides, negatives and books, that prosecutors say contained suspicious content. According to court documents, at least two frames of the negatives show a man next to a minor girl. One of the witnesses said the man in the photos is Thomas Markle. Merkel pleaded not guilty at the first hearing in federal court in Tampa. The judge released him under conditions of house arrest and the use of an electronic collar. The case will continue in California. According to the prosecutors, if convicted, Markel could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. Meghan Markle has previously said that she is deeply affected by these reports and thinks of the children who may have been affected. He also said that he distanced himself from his father to protect his children and prevented him from communicating with them.

Meghan Markle's father arrested on charges of possession of child sexual abuse images The US Department of Justice announced that on Friday, November 6, federal agents arrested Thomas Wayne Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan Markle, wife of Prince Harry, in Lakeland, Florida. He faces one federal count of possession of child sexual abuse material. The FBI's investigation began in October 2026 after a witness reported finding a suspicious substance among Markle's personal belongings in the Philippines. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, agents searched Markle's two rented warehouses in the Los Angeles area with a warrant and seized about 78 items, including slides, negatives and books, that prosecutors say contained suspicious content. According to court documents, at least two frames of the negatives show a man next to a minor girl. One of the witnesses said the man in the photos is Thomas Markle. Merkel pleaded not guilty at the first hearing in federal court in Tampa. The judge released him under conditions of house arrest and the use of an electronic collar. The case will continue in California. According to the prosecutors, if convicted, Markel could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. Meghan Markle has previously said that she is deeply affected by these reports and thinks of the children who may have been affected. He also said that he distanced himself from his father to protect his children and prevented him from communicating with them.