Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas, cut off ankle monitor after arrest for alleged possession of child sexual abuse material, DOJ says

Meghan Markle's estranged father, Thomas Markle, cut off his ankle monitor while on house arrest after being charged with having child sexual abuse material, federal authorities said on Tuesday.

"Four days ago, a federal judge allowed Mr. Markle to remain out of custody pending trial," Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement posted to X. "He was ordered to wear a location monitoring device. He allegedly cut the bracelet off at 1:45 a.m. last night. Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions. We are asking the court to revoke his release and detain him pending trial, and we will continue to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law."

Markle, 82, appeared in federal court in Tampa on Friday, hours after FBI agents arrested him at his care home. He was charged with one count of possession of child pornography. He arrived at court in a wheelchair and did not enter a plea.

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A magistrate judge released him on his own recognizance to home detention with electronic monitoring and barred him from traveling outside Florida's Middle District and California's Central District. The judge also ordered him to have no contact with minors and not to use devices that can access the internet, and to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before the case moved forward.

According to the Justice Department, Markle was arrested after agents discovered approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books, that contained suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while searching two storage units registered to Markle, at least one of which was in the Los Angeles area.

"Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls," Essayli said in a press release announcing his initial arrest. "These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law."

In October 2026, federal law enforcement learned that an individual signed an affidavit regarding the discovery of suspected CSAM among Markle's possessions in the Philippines, according to the press release. Officers then interviewed a separate individual who revealed Markle had rented a storage unit in the Los Angeles area.

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This led to the discovery of a second storage unit. Both had been rented by Markle since 2008.

In a statement, FBI Director Kash Patel said that Markle "allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions."

"This FBI will use every single resource at our disposal to protect innocent kids — any predator who targets children will have zero safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide," Patel added.

If convicted, Markle could face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

"This case highlights the importance of the involvement of the public, even if it's a family member or close friend, to be vigilant and speak up if they have information on individuals they suspect may be preying on and exploiting our children," said Patrick Grandy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.

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In October, it was reported that Markle was under investigation in the Philippines over allegations that he possessed child sexual abuse material. Philippine authorities plan to file their own charges against him as early as Monday, ITV News reported.

The Sun first reported that his son, Meghan's half-brother Thomas Markle Jr., told Philippine police that after his father left the country in May, he discovered images of child sexual abuse material among boxes at his father's former home in Cebu.

Markle Sr. denied those allegations, telling the Daily Mail on Oct. 23: "It's just a bunch of lies. It's sick."

Markle is believed to have returned to the U.S. in May, after his left leg was amputated in the Philippines in December 2025. In October, The Sun reported Markle moved into Maravida Senior Living care home, a facility which specializes in "memory care."

Meghan Markle released a statement following the claims, saying she was "deeply distressed." She also revealed that in 2019 she received a copy of a letter containing "troubling" allegations about him, which had been sent to London's Metropolitan Police.

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"It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated," she said. British police subsequently said it had not shared the letter with other law enforcement agencies.

According to the Sun on Sunday, Meghan was advised that speaking publicly could jeopardize any potential legal case.

Addressing her decision to keep Archie and Lilibet away from their grandfather over the past few years, Meghan said that "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 added: "My sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children."

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Meghan reportedly wrote to her estranged father in December 2025 to tell him she was aware of child abuse allegations against him and would not allow him to meet his grandchildren. Meghan reportedly told her father the letter would be the last time he heard from her.

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