The father of the Duchess of Sussex has appeared before a US court after FBI agents arrested him on suspicion of possessing child abuse material, including photographs allegedly showing him with young girls.
Thomas Markle Senior faces one charge of possessing child pornography.
He was brought before a court in Tampa, Florida.
Authorities say the material was discovered in two storage units in the Los Angeles area that he had rented for almost 20 years.
Thomas Markle Snr was arrested by FBI agents yesterday.
Acting under search warrants, agents examined two Los Angeles-area storage units registered in his name. He had rented them since 2008, with the latest payments made through automatic billing last month.
Investigators seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books containing suspected child sexual abuse material.
Two of the images allegedly show an adult man, identified by a witness as Thomas Markle Snr, alongside a nude young girl.
A third image is alleged to depict a nude young girl in a room that appears to be inside a motel chain in the Philippines.
Other photographs allegedly show him with children who appear to be in various states of undress.
A storage facility in Mexico where authorities seized belongings of Thomas Markle Snr
Patrick Grandy, the FBI’s assistant director in charge of its 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 had been living in a dementia care home in the US, has acknowledged paying for sex in the Philippines but denies possessing child abuse imagery.
His daughter, the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, returned to the UK from the US with her husband, Prince Harry, in August.
She said she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations involving her father, from whom she has been estranged since the period leading up to their 2018 wedding.
Meghan Markle said she was given assurances the claims were being investigated (file pic)
She said she received a letter in 2019 through London’s Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection containing “troubling and disturbing allegations” about her father. She was also assured that the claims were being investigated.
The Met Police has acknowledged that it did not pass the details to other law enforcement agencies or the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is examining the force’s handling of the matter.
Sources said the duchess wanted to “speak out” as soon as she read the letter, but police advised her not to do so.
Thomas Markle Snr, a former television lighting director, appealed for his daughter to contact him after his leg was amputated in the Philippines last year.
She is understood to have sent a final letter saying she knew he was an abuser and that he would never meet his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
If convicted, Thomas Markle Snr could receive a prison sentence of at least 20 years.
Additional reporting PA
