The Duchess of Sussex is hoping for a “full and thorough investigation” into her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, after he was charged in the United States with possessing child pornography, a close friend has said.
The friend said Meghan, 45, wanted “justice” for any victims of the alleged crimes. Mr Markle, 82, vehemently denies wrongdoing.
He was arrested at a senior-living facility in Lakeland, Florida, after FBI agents allegedly found child sexual abuse material in two storage units in Los Angeles that he had rented for almost two decades.
Mr Markle did not enter a plea during an initial court hearing. He was released on bond and ordered to remain under house arrest at the care home, where he is receiving support following the amputation of a leg.
“It is her sincerest hope that a full and thorough investigation will now help deliver justice for the victims,” the friend said.
Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, 42, were informed about the FBI’s findings as Mr Markle was being taken to court. The Sussexes have not publicly commented on the case.
Thomas Markle denies wrongdoing
The former Hollywood lighting director was charged with one count of possession of child pornography. Court documents say investigators seized about 78 items from the Los Angeles units, including film negatives, slides and books containing suspected abuse material.
An FBI agent said in a sworn affidavit that some negatives were converted into digital images. The affidavit alleges that one image showed an adult man with a naked pre-pubescent girl and described the man as engaging in an act of child abuse.
Other images allegedly showed children in various stages of undress. Investigators have spoken to witnesses in an attempt to identify the adult depicted, and one person who reportedly knew Mr Markle since the 1970s is said to have identified him.
The allegations have not been tested in court. When asked whether he was a paedophile as he was taken into custody, Mr Markle replied, “no”. He remained silent when asked whether he had collected child pornography.
At his hearing, Mr Markle listened as a judge outlined the allegations, including the claim that he appeared in two of the images. Asked whether he understood, he replied, “yes”.
His son, Thomas Markle Jr, 60, is said to have reported him to police in the Philippines two weeks before the arrest. Material was allegedly found among belongings left at Mr Markle’s former home in Cebu, after which the FBI was informed about the storage units in Los Angeles.
Investigations in the US and Philippines
The FBI investigation follows the alleged discovery of further material in a storage unit near Mr Markle’s former home in Rosarito, Mexico. Mexican police are also said to be close to bringing formal charges after child abuse images were allegedly found there.
FBI Director Kash Patel said: “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,” he added.
US prosecutors have said the allegations are “extremely serious” and that Mr Markle will be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of federal law”.
Mr Markle had reportedly not visited the Los Angeles units for years, although he continued paying about £520 a month to rent them. He moved to Florida in the spring and had recently relocated to a care home specialising in dementia care.
The FBI said the investigation involved material believed to date back several decades. Investigators are examining the contents of the storage units as well as evidence allegedly recovered in Mexico and the Philippines.
