Key facts
- Thomas Markle, 82, cut off his ankle monitor at 1:45 a.m., first assistant US attorney Bill Essayli said.
- Markle was arrested shortly after removing the device and was in custody awaiting a federal court hearing in Tampa.
- His earlier arrest on Friday followed the seizure of about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books, that authorities said contained suspected child sexual abuse images.
- A judge had released Markle on condition of electronic monitoring and ordered a mental competency exam with a report due November 20.
- Meghan said she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations and that a 2019 letter to London police contained "troubling allegations" about her father.
Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, cut an electronic monitoring device off his ankle and was arrested shortly afterward, first assistant US attorney Bill Essayli said.
Markle was taken into custody and was awaiting a hearing in federal court in Tampa, Florida, Essayli said. The ankle bracelet was cut off at 1:45 a.m., according to the prosecutor, who said Markle was arrested shortly after.
His arrest on Friday followed the seizure of approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books that Essayli said contained suspected child sexual abuse images. The items were found in storage units in the Los Angeles area that Markle had rented since 2008, Essayli said.
During the earlier arrest, Markle was taken by ambulance from a senior care center in Lakeland. Hours later, a judge allowed his release on condition that he be electronically monitored, which typically means wearing an ankle tether. The judge also ordered a mental competency exam and a report by November 20.
Meghan, who married Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018 and has two children with him, said she was "deeply distressed" by allegations that a collection of child sexual abuse images had been found at her father's former home. She said a letter containing "troubling allegations" about him had been sent to police in London in 2019, and that she had been given assurances the claims were being investigated.
Thomas Markle had been living in the Philippines in 2026 when he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated, forcing his return to the US. The arrest followed reports by The Sun, a British tabloid, that Meghan's half brother found a collection of child sexual abuse images while clearing out their father's home in the Philippines, leading to information about the two California storage units.