Thomas Markle, the father of the Duchess of Sussex, appeared in court in Tampa on Friday after being arrested on an allegation of possessing child sexual abuse images. The 82-year-old faces one count of possession of child pornography. He did not enter a plea during the brief hearing.
Markle was photographed seated in a wheelchair and wearing handcuffs as FBI agents escorted him from a retirement home in Florida. He travelled to court by ambulance. Following the hearing, he was allowed to return to a senior care facility with an electronic tag to monitor his whereabouts. The judge also ordered a psychiatric examination to assess whether he could understand the proceedings.
US Attorney Bill Essayli said FBI agents recovered approximately 78 items from two storage units in Los Angeles that Markle allegedly rented. The material included slides, film negatives and books. Authorities said the units had been rented by Markle since 2008 and alleged that the contents included sexually explicit photographs showing him with prepubescent girls.
Essayli described the allegations as extremely serious and said federal prosecutors would pursue the case to the fullest extent of the law. Markle has previously rejected accusations against him as “sick lies”.
The court appearance followed allegations made two weeks earlier by Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr. He said he discovered hundreds, possibly thousands, of child abuse images while clearing his father's property in the Philippines. He said he reported the discovery to authorities in both the Philippines and the United States.
Last week, a court issued a warrant allowing police in the Philippines to begin examining digital material supplied by Thomas Markle Jr. Separately, it emerged that the Metropolitan Police had shared a letter with Meghan in 2019 concerning alleged offending by her father outside Britain. The force did not pass the information to other law enforcement agencies.
Meghan has had no relationship with her father since 2018, and he was absent from her wedding to Prince Harry. She recently said she ended contact to protect her children. She described herself as “deeply distressed” by the allegations, although she and Harry had not commented on Friday's charging decision.
Markle previously worked as a television lighting director. He returned to the United States earlier in 2026 after suffering a stroke and undergoing a leg amputation.
