Meghan Markle's father Thomas Markle arrested in Florida on federal charge

Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by US federal agents on Friday, 6 November. He was taken into custody at the retirement home where he lives in Lakeland, Florida, and faces a federal complaint with one count of possessing child sexual abuse material, according to US authorities.

He has denied the accusation. Speaking to a British newspaper before his arrest, he called the claims untrue and “sick lies”. He has not been convicted of anything, and the case will now go before a federal court.

What authorities say

• Who arrested him: federal agents, in Lakeland, Florida, on Friday morning.
• The charge: one federal count of possession of child sexual abuse material.
• The investigation: US officials said FBI attachés working with partners in Mexico, Manila and the Marshall Islands helped with the case. Mexican authorities seized a storage unit holding his belongings near Tijuana during the investigation.

Media reports said material was found in storage units he had rented for years in the Los Angeles area. Claims that more was found in Mexico come from unnamed sources and are not part of the federal charge, so they remain unconfirmed.

Meghan and her father

Meghan and Thomas Markle have been estranged since shortly before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, which he did not attend after he was found to have staged paparazzi photographs and then had heart trouble. He has spoken to the media about her many times since. The reports we reviewed carried no public comment from Meghan or Harry.

Why it is trending

“Meghan Markle” was among the top searches in the US and India on Friday as news of the arrest spread. Many people searched her name rather than her father’s, which is why the story is travelling under it.

The next step is his first appearance before a federal magistrate, where the court will decide on bail and set the timetable for the case.