Thomas Markle placed under electronic monitoring in Florida
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on MyJoyOnline
Thomas Markle, Meghan's father, appeared in court in Florida after his arrest for alleged possession of child sexual abuse material. The court ordered him to remain at his assisted living facility and wear an electronic monitoring device, while a California arraignment hearing is to be scheduled, according to the US Department of Justice.
A court has ordered Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to remain at home in his assisted living facility in Florida and wear an electronic monitoring device following his arrest for alleged possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the US Department of Justice (DoJ). No plea was entered during the hearing, and a date for an arraignment in California is to be set later, according to a joint statement from the DoJ and the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
FBI agents seized about 78 items from two storage units in the Los Angeles area rented by Thomas Markle since 2008, including negatives, slides and books that investigators say contain child sexual abuse material. Witnesses positively identified him in two images allegedly showing abuse, according to the FBI. FBI Director Kash Patel said the authorities had “acted quickly” in making the arrest.
The 30-minute hearing took place on Friday, with Thomas Markle brought to court in a wheelchair under the escort of two federal agents, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner. The case concerns one count of possession of indecent images of minors. Thomas Markle has previously denied the allegations, calling them “sick lies”.
The hearing took place on the day of his arrest in Florida, announced on 6 November 2026 as part of the FBI investigation. Thomas Markle arrested in Florida for possession of child sexual abuse material had been presented as the initial event in the case.
