WASHINGTON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Thomas Markle, father of Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle, has been arrested for possessing child pornography, the US Justice Department said on Friday.
Markle, 82, of Lakeland, Florida, is charged with one count of possession of child pornography, the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said in a statement. He is expected to appear in court in Tampa on Friday.
“Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said. “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”
A Justice Department official said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had arrested Thomas Markle.
A spokesperson for Meghan Markle did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Daily Mail, which first reported the arrest, saidMarkle Sr was arrested at his senior living community in Lakeland over alleged possession of child sexual abuse material. Material had also been found in a storage unit in Mexico as well as the Philippines, it reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources.
Authorities in the Philippines, where Markle Sr had previously lived for some time, began investigating him last month over the allegations. British police last month said they would refer allegations about him to overseas law enforcement agencies after finding that the claims had not been passed to other authorities when they were first received.
He has denied the accusations, telling the Daily Mail they were untrue and "sick lies."
Meghan Markle, an American who married King Charles' younger son in 2018, has said she was "deeply distressed" over the allegations.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Dan Ziff-Rosenzweig; additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Michelle Nichols)
