Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested in Florida on Friday in connection with allegations that he possessed child sexual abuse material, according to CBS News, which cited three sources familiar with the matter.
The arrest follows an investigation opened in the Philippines, where authorities began looking into allegations that Markle possessed such material after his personal items were handed to law enforcement by his son, Thomas Markle Jr., CBS News reported. A spokesperson for the Philippine National Police confirmed the investigation to CBS News.
Markle has denied the allegations, describing them as "sick lies" and stating that he had never downloaded anything of that nature, according to a Daily Mail interview quoted in the reporting.
Why it matters
The case draws a member of the British royal family's extended circle into a criminal proceeding in the United States, and it has revived a long-running public rift between Meghan and her father. Meghan has said the allegations were known to her years before they became public and that they shaped her decision to keep her father away from her children.
Her statement, sent to CBS News, said she had been aware of the claims since 2018 and that they were passed to authorities in the United Kingdom at that time. She said that information led her and Prince Harry to stop contact between her father and their children.
"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," she said in the statement.
How the investigation developed
Reports of the Philippine inquiry surfaced last month. The Philippine National Police spokesperson told CBS News that the probe began after Markle's son turned over items belonging to his father.
Separately, People.com reported that Meghan's half-brother has been named a person of interest in the investigation involving their father. Yahoo reported that Samantha Markle, Meghan's half-sister, was seen attempting to visit Thomas Markle while trying to avoid attention before the arrest.
The Jerusalem Post, citing a source, reported that Markle was arrested by the FBI. CBS News reported the arrest occurred in Florida and that it related to allegations of possessing child sexual abuse material.
A letter and a hospital visit
According to CBS News partner BBC News, Meghan confronted her father about the allegations last year. Video that the Daily Mail says it obtained exclusively shows Markle accepting a letter from his daughter while in a hospital room in the United States in December 2025.
The BBC reported that in the letter Meghan wrote that she and authorities knew he had abused young girls, and that he would never meet her children with Harry, Archie and Lilibet.
Meghan recently returned to Britain with Harry and their children. CBS News said it had contacted her spokesperson for comment on the arrest. Roya Nikkah, a CBS News contributor and royal editor at the Sunday Times, said on X that sources indicated the duchess is unlikely to speak publicly "at this time."
What to watch
Attention now turns to Florida authorities and the federal agencies involved, and to whether formal charges follow the arrest. CBS News reported the arrest was made in connection with the allegations; details of any charging decision, court appearance or custody status were not included in the reporting.
