Meghan’s dad nabbed over ‘child sex’ in Cebu
Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, was arrested in Florida on Friday for allegedly possessing images depicting child sexual abuse, officials said.
Markle, 82, has been charged with one count of “possession of child pornography” and is to make an initial court appearance in Tampa on Friday, US Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement.
His daughter is an American member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
“Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls,” Essayli said. “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”
Markle was taken into custody by FBI agents early Friday at the retirement home where he lived in Lakeland, Florida.
The Justice Department said Markle allegedly “kept child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he has rented for nearly two decades.”
“Inside the units, agents seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books that contained suspected CSAM,” it said.
Markle could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of possession of child sex abuse material.
Pictures of child sex abuse have also allegedly been found at Markle’s former home in the Philippines and at a storage unit he rented in Mexico.
Lived in Cebu
The British tabloid The Sun reported last month that Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., discovered the child sex abuse images while going through boxes found in his father’s former home in Cebu in the Philippines.
Markle had been living in Cebu until he reportedly returned to the United States earlier this year.
Meghan Markle said last month that she was “deeply distressed” by accusations that her father possessed images of child sexual abuse.
She said she had blocked contact between him and her children over previous “troubling and disturbing” allegations.
Harry, the second son of King Charles III and estranged brother of heir to the throne Prince William, married Meghan, an American actress, at Windsor Castle in May 2018.
The couple left Britain and quit their royal duties in 2020 but made an unexpected return with their two children to live in the United Kingdom in August.