# Thomas Markle arrested on child pornography charges > Meghan Markle's estranged father faces federal charges after his son reported finding abuse images at his home in the Philippines. - Title: Thomas Markle arrested on child pornography charges | Shortify - Summary: Meghan Markle's estranged father faces federal charges after his son reported finding abuse images at his home in the Philippines. - Keywords: thomas markle, meghan markle, child pornography, arrest, royal family, fbi investigation, Business Insider - Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/meghan-markle-father-thomas-markle-estranged-relationship-timeline-2026-11 - Author: Samantha Grindell Pettyjohn - Published: 2026-11-11T20:59:18.961+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: thomas markle, meghan markle, child pornography, arrest, royal family, fbi investigation, business, technology ## Markle arrested on child pornography charge Thomas Markle, eighty-two, was arrested and charged with one count of possession of child pornography on November sixth. The Department of Justice confirmed the arrest on Friday. ## Half-brother reported findings to authorities Thomas Markle Junior, Meghan's half-brother, reported finding child sex abuse images at their father's home in the Philippines to Philippine police and the FBI less than a month before the arrest. ## Material found in Los Angeles storage units Suspected child sexual abuse material was found in two storage units in Los Angeles that Markle had rented since two thousand eight, according to the Department of Justice. ## Prosecutor describes serious allegations Bill Essayli, first assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California, said Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material including photographs depicting himself with minor girls. > These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law. ## Markle denied allegations before arrest On October twenty-third, before his arrest, Markle denied the allegations to the Daily Mail, calling them the worst thing anyone could accuse him of. > I could never do what I'm being accused of. It's the worst thing anyone could accuse me of. ## Meghan says she is deeply distressed Meghan said she was deeply distressed by the allegations against her father in a statement made before his arrest on October twenty-third. > I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last twenty-four hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed. ## Meghan learned of allegations in two thousand eighteen In her statement, Meghan revealed she became aware of troubling and disturbing allegations against her father in two thousand eighteen when a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police. ## Meghan distanced herself to protect children Meghan said any distance from her father and her choice not to allow him contact with their children was to protect them, despite media distortion over the years. > I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications' distortion over the years, 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. ## Strained relationship began in two thousand eighteen Meghan and her father had a publicly strained relationship since two thousand eighteen, when he posed for paparazzi photos for money ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry. ## Childhood relationship was close Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, and her father divorced in nineteen eighty-seven when she was six years old. Meghan said she was close with her dad, describing herself as a daddy's girl. ## Markle accepted money for staged photos Days before Meghan's wedding on May nineteenth, two thousand eighteen, tabloids reported Markle had sat for staged paparazzi photos in exchange for money. ## Markle missed the wedding Markle said he would not attend his daughter's wedding because he needed urgent heart surgery. Prince Charles walked Meghan down the aisle in his absence. ## Meghan called him over twenty times In their Netflix series, Meghan said her father did not return her phone calls after the paparazzi story broke, even though she called him over twenty times. ## Markle began doing press interviews After missing the wedding, Markle began speaking to the British press about Meghan frequently, including an appearance on Good Morning Britain in June two thousand eighteen. ## Meghan sued over published letter In February two thousand nineteen, Markle gave the Mail on Sunday a letter Meghan wrote to him in August two thousand eighteen. Meghan sued the newspaper for publishing excerpts. > broken my heart into a million pieces ## Meghan won her privacy case Meghan won her case in December two thousand twenty-one. The Mail on Sunday had to acknowledge it infringed her copyright and paid her one pound. ## Court ordered home detention and monitoring Markle appeared in US District Court in Tampa on Friday. He was released on personal recognizance but ordered to submit to home detention and electronic monitoring. ## Judge revoked home detention after tampering On November tenth, a judge revoked Markle's home detention, saying he violated the conditions of his pretrial release by tampering with his ankle monitor. ## Meghan makes public appearance after arrest On November tenth, Meghan made her first public appearance following her father's arrest, opening the Lost Screen Memorial in Brussels with Harry. ## Key takeaway Thomas Markle, 82, was arrested and charged with one count of possession of child pornography after suspected abuse material was found in storage units he rented in Los Angeles since 2008.