Meghan Markle’s father held for child pornography possession

Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan Markle, was arrested Friday in Lakeland, Florida. According to the US Department of Justice and the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Markle faces one count of possession of child pornography. TheWrap reports that authorities seized approximately 78 items, including books, film negatives, and slides, from two Los Angeles-area storage units that Markle had rented for nearly two decades.

The Department of Justice stated the allegations involve child sexual abuse material, including sexually explicit photographs of Markle with prepubescent girls.

The arrest follows an investigation into allegations that emerged last month, which Variety notes was first reported by CBS News. TheWrap reports that local police in the Philippines had begun an investigation two weeks ago after Thomas Markle Jr. allegedly found similar imagery in their shared home in the country. Regarding the discovery, Markle Jr. told The Sun he was "horrified" and felt he had "no option" but to report his father.

TheWrap also notes that the Duchess of Sussex claimed she first learned of "disturbing" allegations regarding her father in 2018 via a letter sent to London's Metropolitan Police.

Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Times, TheWrap, Variety — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.