The statement suggests that the allegations were known to British police six years ago, yet no arrest followed until now.
The US Department of Justice announced on Friday that Thomas Markle Sr, the estranged father of Meghan Markle, had been arrested in Florida on a charge of possession of child sexual abuse material. According to the department, law enforcement officers discovered sexually explicit photographs of him with prepubescent girls in two storage units in the Los Angeles area that he had rented for nearly two decades. The arrest, first reported by Al Jazeera, brings a long-simmering private scandal into the public domain and raises uncomfortable questions about what was known, and when, by both the British royal family and US authorities.
The Justice Department said authorities learned in October that an individual had signed an affidavit stating they had found child sex abuse material among Markle's possessions in the Philippines. A second individual told investigators that the 82-year-old had rented a storage unit near Los Angeles since 2008, and information from the first witness led to the discovery of a second unit. After obtaining warrants, FBI agents searched both units and found 78 items, including photos, film negatives and books containing explicit imagery of him with underage girls. The affidavit described three photographs in particular: two showing a man identified by a witness as Thomas with a nude prepubescent girl, and a third showing a nude underage girl in what appeared to be a Philippine hotel room. Officials also found photos that appeared to show Thomas with children in various stages of undress.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on Thursday that Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions. Markle is expected to appear in a Florida court on Friday and could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in a US federal prison if convicted. The case has emerged as the Trump administration faces criticism over its handling of child abuse cases, particularly the release of files related to the investigation into convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. That context may shape how the prosecution is perceived, though the Justice Department has stressed that the charges stem from a separate investigation.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, issued a statement to The New York Times in October saying she first learned of the allegations against her father in 2018, when a letter detailing them was sent to the unit of London's Metropolitan Police that was handling her security at the time. She said she was deeply distressed at the news and that her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed. She added that any distance from her father and her choice not to allow him contact with her children was for one reason: to protect them. The statement suggests that the allegations were known to British police six years ago, yet no arrest followed until now. That gap will invite scrutiny of how the case was handled on both sides of the Atlantic.
Thomas Markle had been living in the Philippines earlier this year when he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated, forcing him to return to the United States. Meghan, Prince Harry and their two children relocated back to the United Kingdom in August. The Associated Press tried to reach Meghan's representative on Friday but had not heard back. The arrest comes as the royal family continues to manage the fallout from the Epstein scandal, which last year led King Charles to strip Prince Andrew of his princely title. For Meghan and Harry, the case is a painful reminder of a fractured relationship that has played out in tabloid headlines for years. What remains unclear is why the 2018 letter to the Met did not result in an earlier investigation, and whether US authorities were ever informed. Those questions will likely dominate the coming days as more details emerge.
