Meghan Markle's father, Thomas Markle, arrested in US over alleged possession of child sexual abuse material

Thomas Markle, father of Meghan Markle, was arrested in Florida on Friday over allegations of possessing child sexual abuse material, according to officials. The 82-year-old is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and is set to appear in Tampa on Friday, according to US Attorney Bill Essayli. Prosecutors allege that Markle kept CSAM, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in storage units he rented for nearly two decades in the Los Angeles area.

Approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books, were seized from the units. Additionally, child sex abuse images were allegedly found at Markle's former home in the Philippines and at a storage unit in Mexico. If convicted, Markle could face up to 20 years in prison. Meghan Markle expressed deep distress over the accusations and stated that she had blocked contact between her father and her children over previous troubling allegations.

Prince Harry, Meghan's husband, and the Duke of Sussex, married Meghan in May 2018 and later left the royal family in 2020 but returned to the UK with their children in August.