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Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle, has been arrested in Florida, a law enforcement source told Fox News Digital.
Authorities arrested Markle Sr. for possession of child pornography (CSAM), according to the Daily Mail.
The Sun previously reported that Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., recently found “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sexual abuse images in boxes at his father’s former home in the Philippine city of Cebu while he was clearing out the property. Markle Jr. told the newspaper that he reported the images to police in the Philippines and contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States.
Meghan condemned the alleged abuse and shed new light on her decision to cut ties with her father.
Meghan Markle’s father was arrested on Friday, according to a police source. (GC Images)
“I am deeply distressed by the news that has come to light over the past 24 hours and my thoughts are with all the children who may have been harmed,” she said in a statement previously shared with Fox News Digital.
“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royal and Specialist Protection. This letter was then shared with me. It contained disturbing and worrying allegations against my father, and I was assured that they were being investigated.”
“I hope we can now understand that, despite the distortion of certain media publications over the years, any distance from my father and my choice not to allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason only: to protect them.
“I had confidence that authorities were doing the same for other families,” the statement continued.
Meghan Markle shared a statement with Fox News Digital after news of her father’s alleged crimes became public. (Kola Sulaimon)
“While the scale of what has been uncovered is more sickening than anyone could ever imagine, my most sincere hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children,” the statement concluded.
On October 24, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that they had received a letter in January 2019 “containing a number of allegations relating to alleged offenses outside the United Kingdom”.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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