TAMPA, Fla. (Azat TV) – Thomas Markle Sr., the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was placed under house detention at an assisted living facility in Florida following a federal court appearance on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, the US Department of Justice announced. The BBC reported that Markle faces one federal count of possessing indecent images of children following an investigation that spanned multiple international jurisdictions.
During a 30-minute hearing in Tampa federal court, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson ordered Markle released on personal recognizance, subjecting him to electronic monitoring and strict travel restrictions. Federal prosecutor Courtenay Derry outlined the charges against Markle, who was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair, escorted by two U.S. Marshals and wearing black trousers and a black T-shirt. No plea was entered during the appearance, and an arraignment date in California will be determined in due course, according to a joint statement from the DoJ and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
FBI Investigation and Storage Unit Seizures
The federal case originated from an FBI investigation involving search warrants executed on Los Angeles-area storage units registered to Markle. According to the DoJ, Markle had rented the units since 2008, with the most recent payment submitted in October 2026. Agents seized approximately 78 items from the facilities, including film negatives, slides, and books allegedly containing child sexual abuse material.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated that federal authorities moved quickly following the discovery. “Mr. Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions,” Patel said, adding that the agency would utilize every available resource to protect minors. Witnesses reportedly identified Markle in two of the recovered images, where the depicted individual appeared to be in their 30s or 40s, indicating that portions of the alleged material date back decades.
International Background and Family Context
Prior to his arrest in Florida, Markle had been living in Cebu, Philippines, until May 2025, following a series of strokes. In October 2026, Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., handed over four boxes of material—including computers, phones, hard drives, and old video tapes removed from Markle’s former Philippine residence—to local police acting on a search warrant. Markle subsequently relocated to a Florida rehabilitation center to learn to walk again after undergoing a leg amputation.
Separately, London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed in October 2026 that it had received a letter in 2019 containing claims regarding Markle Sr. The force stated that the information, which involved allegations outside the UK, was passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but was not shared with other law enforcement agencies. The Metropolitan Police have voluntarily referred their handling of the 2019 letter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
The Duchess of Sussex released a statement in October 2026 after the allegations emerged, noting that she was deeply distressed and that her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed. Meghan has been estranged from her father since 2018.