Meghan Markle's father due in US court over abuse images

The Duchess of Sussex's father has been charged over alleged possession of child abuse material, including images of himself with young girls.

Thomas Markle Snr, who is charged with one count of possession of child pornography, is expected to appear in court in Tampa, Florida today.

The seized material was allegedly found in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades.

It comes after he was reported to police in the Philippines and the FBI last month by his son, Thomas Markle Jr, who allegedly found illegal images in his father's belongings in Cebu City.

Thomas Markle Snr was taken into custody by FBI agents yesterday.

First assistant US attorney Bill Essayli said: "Mr Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls.

"These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr Markle to the fullest extent of federal law."

FBI director Kash Patel said: "The FBI and our partners have arrested Thomas Markle Snr after an FBI investigation revealed he was in possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

"Mr Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions.

"Working with our Justice Department partners, our agents moved quickly, identified and located the explicit material, and arrested Mr Markle in Florida.

"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.

"Thank you to FBI Los Angeles, FBI Tampa, our Mexico and Marshall Islands Law Enforcement Attaches, and our partners who executed quickly in this case."

Patrick Grandy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, said: "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."

Thomas Markle Snr, who was living in a dementia care home in the US, has admitted to paying for sex in the Philippines but has denied ever possessing child abuse imagery.

Meghan, who moved back to the UK with Harry in August, said she was "deeply distressed" at the allegations about her father, from whom she has been estranged since the run-up to her 2018 wedding.

'Troubling and disturbing allegations'

She revealed she was sent a letter via the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2019 which made "troubling and disturbing allegations" about her father, but that she was given assurances these were being investigated.

The Met Police has admitted it never shared the details with other law enforcement agencies, with the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), now investigating the force's conduct.

The duchess had wanted to "speak out" immediately after reading the letter but police advised her against this, sources said.

When former TV lighting director Thomas Markle Snr had his leg amputated in the Philippines last year, he made pleas for the duchess to contact him.

Meghan is said to have written him a final letter in which she said she knew he was an abuser and that he would never see his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Acting on warrants, FBI agents searched two storage units in LA registered to Thomas Markle Snr and which he had rented since 2008, with his most recent payments on both made last month by auto-pay.

Inside the units, agents seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books that contained suspected child sex abuse material.

Two of the images allegedly depict an adult man - whom a witness identified as Thomas Markle Snr - with a nude young girl.

A third is said to show a nude young girl in a room that appears to be part of a motel chain in the Philippines.

Other photographs allegedly show him with children in various stages of undress.

If convicted, Thomas Markle Snr would face at least 20 years in federal prison.