Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, has been arrested over allegations of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs allegedly showing him with prepubescent girls.

The 82-year-old Mr Markle, of Lakeland, Florida, was arrested on Friday following an FBI investigation and faces one count of possession of child pornography, according to a statement by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Investigators reportedly recovered approximately 78 items, including photographic slides, film negatives and books containing suspected child sexual abuse material, from two storage units Mr Markle had rented in the Los Angeles area since 2008.

An affidavit accompanying the criminal complaint described two photographs allegedly showing an adult man, identified by a witness as Markle, with a nude prepubescent girl. Another image reportedly showed a nude girl in a room apparently located in a motel belonging to a chain in the Philippines.

The investigation began in October 2026 after authorities received information about the discovery of suspected child sexual abuse material among Markle’s possessions in the Philippines. Subsequent investigations led authorities to discover the two storage facilities.

Following the issuance of judicially authorised warrants, FBI agents searched both storage facilities and seized the suspected materials. Records showed that Markle made his latest rental payments for both facilities last month through automatic payments.

First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli described the allegations as serious, pledging to prosecute Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.

“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” he said.

FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators worked with law enforcement partners to identify and locate the suspected materials and arrest the suspect in Florida.

Mr Markle is scheduled to make his initial appearance before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.