Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by federal agents near Tampa, Florida, on Friday morning, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press.
The people said the arrest was on charges related to child sexual abuse material. They were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly. Fox News also said law enforcement sources confirmed the arrest.
There has been no official statement from federal authorities, and no court documents have been made public. The exact charges and where Markle is being held have not been released.
The arrest follows allegations made public last month. His son, Thomas Markle Jr., said he found images at his father’s former home in the Philippines, reported them to police there and contacted the FBI.
“I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him,” Markle Jr. told The Sun, a British newspaper.
Meghan has said she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations. “I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” she said.
Markle is a retired television lighting director who worked in Hollywood. He has been estranged from Meghan since before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, which he did not attend.
He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. A first appearance in federal court would normally follow an arrest, but no date has been announced.