Thomas Markle charged: 82-year-old faces at least 20 years if convicted over alleged abuse images

Thomas Markle charged with a federal offence is the latest development in a story that began only weeks ago. The father of the Duchess of Sussex, 82, is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material. He is expected to appear before a court in Tampa, Florida, on Friday. The charge is an allegation, and he has not been convicted of anything.

What the US Department of Justice alleges

According to a Department of Justice statement quoted by Variety, Markle, of Lakeland, Florida, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint. It alleges he kept child sexual abuse material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units. He is said to have rented the units for nearly two decades, since 2008. He is charged with one count of possession of child pornography.

The FBI searched the units under warrants and says it seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books containing suspected abuse material. Court documents described by the sources say two images allegedly show an adult man, whom a witness identified as Markle, with a nude young girl. A third is said to show a nude young girl in a room that appears to belong to a motel chain in the Philippines. Other photographs allegedly show him with children in various stages of undress.

If convicted, Markle would face at least 20 years in federal prison, according to The Standard.

How the case came to light

The allegations first became public last month. His son, Thomas Markle Jr, told The Sun he had reported his father to police in the Philippines and to the FBI. He said he had found suspected illegal images in his father’s belongings in Cebu City. Rolling Stone reports that Markle Jr told investigators he found “hundreds, if not thousands” of such images. A Philippine justice official said a task force on human trafficking and child sexual exploitation was investigating, including a forensic examination of a seized computer. The sources do not say whether any charge has been brought in the Philippines.

Markle Jr also told The Sun he had tipped off the FBI about the Los Angeles storage units. The Standard reports that he said this, though the sources do not describe how the FBI first identified the units.

US officials stressed the role of the public. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said prosecutors would pursue the case “to the fullest extent of federal law”. FBI Los Angeles assistant director Patrick Grandy said the case showed the importance of people speaking up, “even if it’s a family member or close friend”, when they suspect someone may be exploiting children.

Markle’s denial and the Met Police questions

Markle has strongly denied the claims. Speaking to the Daily Mail last month, he called them “sick lies” and said: “I could never do what I’m being accused of.” The sources do not report any response from him to the federal charge itself. Variety said it had tried to contact him.

Meghan has said she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations. She said a letter making “troubling and disturbing allegations” about her father was passed to her via the Metropolitan Police and its Royalty and Specialist Protection unit, and that she was assured it was being investigated. Sources differ on whether that was in 2018 or 2019. She said her estrangement from him, and her decision to keep him from her children, was to protect them.

The Met has acknowledged it never shared the details of that letter with other law enforcement agencies, according to The Standard. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is now examining the force’s conduct. Variety adds that the Met said it was making internal enquiries to confirm how the letter reached Meghan, and that it is not investigating Markle itself.

The Tampa hearing will be the first step in the US court process. Until the case is heard, the allegations remain unproven.

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