Prince Harry's Father-in-Law Thomas Markle Detained in the US

Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan Markle, wife of Britain's Prince Harry, was detained in the US state of Florida on Friday, according to British and American media. The reports link his detention to allegations of possessing images of child sexual abuse.

Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) detained Markle at a retirement home in Lakeland, where he had been living, the newspapers Daily Mail and New York Post report. Citing a source, the Daily Mail says he was detained in connection with allegations of possessing child sexual abuse material.

Where the images were found

The images were reportedly found at Markle's former home in the Philippines and in a storage unit he rented in Mexico. Markle previously lived in Cebu in the Philippines but returned to the US earlier this year.

Last month, the British newspaper The Sun reported that his son, Thomas Markle Jr., came across images depicting child sexual abuse while going through boxes found at his father's former home in the Philippines.

Meghan Markle's response

Last month, Meghan Markle said she was "deeply disturbed" by the allegations that her father had kept such images. She said that, because of the earlier "disturbing and upsetting" allegations, she had blocked contact between him and her children.

Background

Prince Harry married American actress Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle in May 2018. The couple left Britain in 2020 and gave up their royal family duties, but in August they unexpectedly returned with their children to live in Britain.