Meghan Markle's Father Thomas Markle Sr. Arrested by FBI in Florida on Child Sexual Abuse Material Charge

TAMPA, Fla. — Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by federal agents in Florida on Friday on a charge related to child sexual abuse material, authorities said.

He was arrested on one count of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. The 82-year-old was arrested at a care home near Tampa.

The allegations

The case centers on two storage units in California. Authorities said agents found approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books, containing suspected child sexual abuse material while searching two storage units registered to Markle.

He has rented the units in Los Angeles since 2008, with his most recent payments on both made last month by auto-pay, according to the FBI. Federal prosecutors allege some of the material includes images depicting Markle himself with minors.

According to the criminal complaint, one unit contained mail bearing Markle's name and an international driver's permit with his name, birthdate and a photo appearing to be him.

Officials comment

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that Markle "allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions."

Detention and penalties

Markle will be held under home detention at the memory care facility where he was arrested.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Markle has not been convicted of any crime, and a criminal complaint contains allegations only.

Background

Markle had been living in the Philippines since early 2025 before recently moving to Florida.

Markle has been publicly estranged from his daughter since before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had not publicly commented on the arrest as of Friday.