Thomas Markle’s estrangement from Meghan and the criminal case against him

Thomas Markle Sr., Meghan Markle’s father, has been in the public eye for years, first because of his strained relationship with the Duchess of Sussex and now because of a criminal case. He was arrested in Florida and charged with possessing child sexual abuse material. He denies the allegations.

A very public family rift

Meghan and her father’s relationship broke down in the days before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. Markle Sr. was caught up in a controversy over staged paparazzi photographs. He first denied arranging the photos, then said he had suffered a heart attack and needed medical care, which kept him from traveling to England for the ceremony.

That August, Meghan wrote him a personal letter asking him to stop discussing their relationship with the media. The following year, a British newspaper published excerpts after Markle Sr. shared the letter. Meghan sued, alleging misuse of private information and copyright infringement.

The estrangement continued, with Markle Sr. speaking publicly about how painful their lack of contact had been. He also made appeals to meet Meghan and Harry’s children, Archie and Lilibet, saying he worried he might not live long enough to see them.

“We’re at a point where, I think both of us, we should grow up, talk, make up for the sake of the children,” he said in a television interview. “This is ridiculous. Almost four years. It’s crazy.”

He said he wanted his grandchildren to know they had two loving families and that, as they grew older, they might want to learn more about their relatives.

In 2025, Markle Sr. underwent an emergency leg amputation. He later said he remained open to reconciling with Meghan and hoped to meet her children and her husband. A spokesperson for Meghan confirmed that she had reached out to her father, but offered no further details.

Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., said their father’s leg had been amputated on Dec. 3 in the Philippines, where the two had been living since early 2025. He said a blood clot in Markle Sr.’s thigh had cut off circulation.

Police investigations and arrest

In October 2026, London’s Metropolitan Police said they had received a letter in January 2019 containing claims about alleged offenses outside the United Kingdom. The force said it had shared the letter with Harry and Meghan’s office, but not with other law enforcement agencies. On Oct. 29, the force referred its handling of the letter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the U.K. police watchdog.

Separately, Markle Jr. said he found hundreds, possibly thousands, of images depicting child sexual abuse while clearing out his father’s former home in Cebu, Philippines. He said he reported what he found to Philippine police and contacted the FBI.

Philippine authorities confirmed they were looking into the allegations. The country’s National Bureau of Investigation said the FBI had asked for help with an investigation based on Markle Jr.’s claims. The national police were also investigating, the country’s interior secretary said.

Markle Sr. rejected the accusations. “I’m shocked, I’m hurt, and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me,” he said. “I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.”

Meghan said she was distressed by the news and expressed concern for any children who may have been harmed. She said her distance from her father, and her decision not to let him have contact with her children, had been intended to protect them. She added that she hoped the case would be fully investigated and that children’s safety would remain the priority.

According to a criminal complaint, FBI agents searched two California storage units registered to Markle Sr. Investigators said they recovered about 78 items, including film negatives, slides and books containing suspected child sexual abuse material. Markle Sr. had reportedly rented the units since 2008.

A longtime acquaintance identified Markle Sr. as the adult man in two photographs showing a prepubescent girl, the complaint said. Investigators also traced details in some images to a hotel in the Philippines. Authorities later searched a storage unit he rented in Mexico and reportedly found additional suspected material.

Markle Sr. was arrested in Florida on a Friday. Federal prosecutors charged him with one count of possession of child pornography in a complaint filed Nov. 5. He appeared in federal court and was released without bond, with home detention at the memory care facility where he had been arrested. A judge also ordered a psychiatric evaluation to assess whether he could understand the proceedings and help with his defense.

Markle Sr. continues to deny the allegations. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison.