Meghan’s father Thomas Markle arrested and charged in US images case

Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been arrested in Florida and charged in California over alleged possession of child sexual abuse material, according to US news reports.

The Associated Press reported that federal agents arrested the 82-year-old near Tampa on Friday, citing two people familiar with the matter who spoke anonymously.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Markle faces a federal charge in California following a search of storage units allegedly belonging to him. Citing a criminal complaint, the newspaper said authorities found explicit photographs of Markle and minors in the units.

Before the US charge was reported, Markle denied his son’s allegations that child sexual abuse images had been found at his former home in the Philippines. He told the Daily Mail that his son’s claims were lies, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Separately, the Metropolitan Police has referred its handling of a 2019 letter containing allegations about Markle to the UK police watchdog. The force said it passed the letter to Harry and Meghan’s office but did not share the allegations with other law-enforcement agencies.