Meghan Markle’s dad held in US
MIAMI—Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, was arrested in Florida on Friday over alleged possession of images of child sexual abuse, US authorities said.
Markle, 82, is 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.
The photographs were first reported to have been found at Markle’s former home in the Philippines and at a storage unit he rented in Mexico.
British tabloid The Sun reported in the previous month that Markle’s son, Thomas Jr., had discovered the pictures while going through boxes found in his father’s former residence in the Philippines. Markle had been living in Cebu City until reportedly returning to the United States earlier this year.
“Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), 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 in Lakeland where he lives.
The Justice Department described his photographs with the girls as “sexually explicit,” adding that the photos and other materials were found in “two Los Angeles area storage units he rented for nearly two decades.”
“Inside the units, agents seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books that contained suspected CSAM,” the agency said.
He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Blocked contact
Meghan Markle said the previous month she was “deeply distressed” by accusations that her father possessed the pictures of child sexual abuse.
The Duchess of Sussex said she had blocked contact between him and her children over previous “troubling and disturbing” allegations.
