Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, made an initial court appearance on Friday after being charged with possession of child sex abuse material, according to the US Department of Justice.
The 82-year-old was arrested in Florida following an FBI search of two storage units in the Los Angeles area that he had rented for nearly two decades. He faces one count of possessing indecent images of children. Markle has previously denied the allegations, calling them "sick lies."
Court Details
The hearing lasted about 30 minutes, during which federal prosecutor Courtenay Derry outlined the charges. Markle, wearing black trousers and a black t-shirt, was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair escorted by two US Marshals. The court ordered him to submit to home detention at his assisted living facility in Florida and to wear an electronic monitoring device. No plea was entered, and an arraignment date in California will be set later.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not commented on the arrest.
FBI Investigation
FBI Director Kash Patel said authorities acted swiftly. "Mr Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions," Patel said in a statement. He added that the FBI would use all resources to protect children, warning that "any predator who targets children will have zero safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide."
The investigation began after the FBI, acting on warrants, searched the storage units registered to Markle, which he had rented since 2008. The last payment was made in October this year. Inside, agents seized about 78 items, including film negatives, slides, and books alleged to contain child sex abuse material. Witnesses positively identified Markle in two of the images, in which the man appears to be in his 30s or 40s, suggesting the alleged abuse dates back decades.
Separate Inquiry in the Philippines
Last month, police in the Philippines obtained a warrant to examine devices allegedly removed from Markle's former home in the country. Four boxes of material, including computers, phones, hard drives, and old video tapes, were handed to officers by Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr. Markle Sr. had moved to the Philippines last year after suffering a series of strokes and lived in Cebu until May. He was later reportedly in a Florida rehabilitation center learning to walk again after having his leg amputated.
Met Police Referral
In October, London's Metropolitan Police confirmed it had received a letter in 2019 containing a number of claims relating to Markle Sr. The Met said the information, which concerned allegations outside the UK, was passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but not shared with other law enforcement agencies. The force has since voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over its handling of the letter.
In a statement released in October after the allegations emerged, the Duchess of Sussex said: "I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed." Meghan has been estranged from her father since 2018.
