FBI arrests Thomas Markle, Meghan Markle's father, in Florida over child abuse material

The arrest in Florida

Federal agents arrested Thomas Markle, 82, the father of Meghan Markle, in Florida on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material, according to reports published on 6 November 2026. The arrest took place at Maravida Senior Living in Lakeland, where Markle has been living since spring, according to 20 Minuten. NewsIT reports that he moves around in a wheelchair after the amputation of a leg and that the facility specialises in caring for people with dementia. NewsIT also reports that about six agents arrived at the centre to question him. The Daily Mail reported that agents stormed the home after material was found at locations linked to Markle in the Philippines and Mexico in the weeks before the arrest.

How the material came to light

Markle's 60-year-old son, Thomas Markle Jr., reported his father to the authorities in July 2026. According to the New York Post, as cited by iefimerida, he found the material while searching among his father's belongings for a mobile phone. 20 Minuten reports that he came across storage boxes holding a large number of images of alleged child abuse in his father's house in the Philippines. In the week before the arrest, further material was reportedly discovered in a storage unit that Markle allegedly rented in Rosarito, Mexico. Media reports describe the collection as hidden among family keepsakes and personal items, and the investigation widened after these finds.

The 2019 letter and the British role

Scotland Yard confirmed in October that British authorities had begun informing the FBI about allegations raised in a letter from Roslyn Loveless, Markle's first wife, dated January 2019. According to media reports, the same letter accused Markle of child abuse. Meghan, 45, received a copy of the letter in January 2019 and reportedly wanted to make the allegations public at that time. The Times reports that an officer from the Metropolitan Police's royal protection command advised her against going public and told her the authorities would look into the matter. Meghan has had no contact with her father for years.

Denial and next steps

Thomas Markle rejects all the accusations against him and has called them lies. Media reports say extradition to the Philippines is unlikely, because he has lived in a rehabilitation facility in Florida since spring. According to the same reports, a dementia diagnosis and related cognitive limitations would create additional legal hurdles for questioning him in the United States. The timeline below sets out the dates reported so far.

The reports describe only the arrest and the allegations at this stage, and no court proceedings have been reported.