Meghan Markle’s father departs court after being charged with possessing child pornography

Thomas Markle, father of Meghan Markle, appeared in federal court on Friday (November 6)  after he was arrested on a charge of possessing child sex abuse material, including photographs of himself with naked underage girls, US law enforcement authorities said.

FBI Director Kash Patel said federal agents had arrested Markle in Florida.

Markle, 82, appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson at the Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse in Tampa, Florida.

Markle is charged with one count of “possession of child pornography,” federal prosecutors in the Central District of California said in a statement.

The Justice Department said Markle kept the material in two Los Angeles-area storage units he has rented since 2008, which agents searched last week after getting a warrant.

The FBI began its investigation of Markle in October, according to the affidavit, after hearing from a witness who said they had discovered suspected ⁠child abuse material among Markle’s possessions in the Philippines. 

The FBI also spoke last month with a second witness, also unidentified in the affidavit, who revealed Markle rented at least one storage unit in California.

Buckingham Palace and a spokesperson for Meghan Markle did not immediately respond to a request for comment.