# Meghan's father arrested, cuts off ankle monitor

> Thomas Markle Sr was arrested for keeping child sexual abuse material and removed his electronic monitoring device days later, authorities say.
- Title: Meghan's father arrested, cuts off ankle monitor | Shortify
- Summary: Thomas Markle Sr was arrested for keeping child sexual abuse material and removed his electronic monitoring device days later, authorities say.
- Keywords: thomas markle sr, meghan duchess of sussex, child sexual abuse material, ankle monitor, federal court, tampa florida, arrest, the Guardian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/10/thomas-markle-ankle-monitor
- Author: Associated Press
- Published: 2026-11-10T20:08:10+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: thomas markle sr, meghan duchess of sussex, child sexual abuse material, ankle monitor, federal court, tampa florida, arrest, news, world
## Markle arrested, removes monitor
Thomas Markle Sr, eighty-two, estranged father of Meghan the Duchess of Sussex, cut an electronic monitoring device off his ankle days after his arrest for keeping child sexual abuse material in California storage units.
## Material seized from storage units
Authorities seized approximately seventy-eight items including slides, film negatives and books containing suspected child sexual abuse images from storage in the Los Angeles area after Markle's arrest on Friday.
## Meghan responds to allegations
Meghan said she was deeply distressed by the allegations and revealed a letter with troubling allegations about her father had been sent to police in London in two thousand nineteen.

> any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children was for one reason: to protect them.
## Markle in custody awaiting hearing
Thomas Markle was arrested at one forty-five am after cutting off his ankle bracelet and is in custody awaiting a federal court hearing in Tampa, Florida.
## Key takeaway

Thomas Markle Sr, estranged father of Meghan the Duchess of Sussex, was arrested for possessing child sexual abuse material and cut off his ankle monitor while awaiting a federal court hearing in Tampa, Florida.