Thomas Markle, 82, arrested in Florida over child sex abuse images
Meghan Markle's estranged father was taken into custody by FBI agents at his Lakeland retirement home. He is expected to appear in a Florida court.
FBI arrests Thomas Markle at Florida retirement home
Thomas Markle, 82, the estranged father of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested in Lakeland, Florida on Friday on charges of alleged possession of child sexual abuse material, Times of Malta reports, citing British and US media.
FBI agents took Markle into custody at the retirement home where he resides. The Daily Mail, quoting an unidentified source, said he faces charges of possession of child sexual abuse images. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
The arrest follows the alleged discovery of child sex abuse images at Markle's former home in the Philippines and at a storage unit he had rented in Mexico. The British tabloid The Sun first reported last month that Markle's son, Thomas Markle Jr, had found the material while going through boxes at his father's former Philippine residence. Markle had been living in Cebu until reportedly returning to the United States earlier this year.
Meghan Markle said last month she was "deeply distressed" by accusations that her father possessed such images. She added that she had already blocked contact between him and her children following previous "troubling and disturbing" allegations.
Markle is expected to appear before a Florida court. Prince Harry, the second son of King Charles III and estranged brother of heir to the throne Prince William, married Meghan, an American former actress, at Windsor Castle in May 2018. The couple stepped back from royal duties in 2020. They made an unexpected return to the United Kingdom in August, relocating with their two children.
Source: Times of Malta