Thomas Markle, Meghan's father, arrested on a federal child sexual abuse material charge

Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by federal agents on Friday, November 6, 2026, on a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material, according to The Associated Press. CNN, in a report carried by KEYT, also reports the arrest. Reuters and the New York Daily News are running the story as well.

What is confirmed

• The arrest. AP, citing people not authorized to discuss the investigation, says it took place Friday morning outside Tampa, Florida.
• The charge. A federal charge of possessing child sexual abuse material. AP reports that First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed the charge, and CNN says the Justice Department announced the arrest.
• The search. AP reports agents searched two storage units in the Los Angeles area that Markle has rented since 2008, and seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books, that allegedly contained such material.
• Court. CNN reports he was expected to make an initial federal court appearance Friday. He has not entered a plea, and no later court dates have been reported.

How the case began

The arrest follows an October report in The Sun, which AP says described Markle's son, Thomas Markle Jr., finding images while clearing out his father's former home in Cebu City, Philippines, and reporting them to Philippine police and the FBI. That discovery led investigators to the U.S. storage units, per AP.

What Markle and the family have said

In October, Markle denied the allegations to the Daily Mail, saying he was "shocked, hurt and very upset" that his son was making them, and that the computer equipment had not been in his possession since 2025, CNN reports. We have found no statement from him or his representatives since the arrest. A spokesperson for Meghan told CNN they had no comment. In October she said she was "deeply distressed" by the earlier reports.

What we do not know

The charging documents have not been seen by this newsroom. The details above come from AP and CNN reporting and from the officials they cite. An arrest and a charge are accusations, not findings; Markle is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. We will update this story when a court record or a Justice Department statement adds facts.

Sources: The Associated Press (via WTOP), CNN (via KEYT), and outlet listings from Reuters and the New York Daily News. Check the sources above for the latest.