Meghan Markle's father arrested in Florida on child sexual abuse material charges

Thomas Markle Sr., the father of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by federal authorities in Florida on charges related to child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California confirmed, according to ABC News.

The arrest follows an investigation in the Philippines where Markle was also being looked into for alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials. This investigation began after Markle's personal items were handed over to Philippine law enforcement by his son, Thomas Markle Jr., as reported by CBS News.

Markle has denied the allegations, calling them "sick lies" and stating he never downloaded such material, according to CBS News. Meghan Markle has been aware of these allegations since 2018 and shared the information with UK authorities, which influenced her decision to cut off her father from contact with her children, CBS News reported.

Meghan confronted her father about the allegations in 2025, and a letter she sent to him, obtained by the Daily Mail and reported by BBC News, stated that authorities knew of his abuse and that he would not meet her children. CBS News noted that Meghan recently moved back to Britain with her husband and children.

CBS News has reached out to Meghan's spokesperson for comment on the arrest. The situation remains under investigation by authorities in both the US and the Philippines.