The Duchess of Sussex is reportedly hoping for a “full and thorough investigation” into her estranged father after he was charged with possessing child sexual abuse material.
A person close to Meghan, 45, said she wants justice for the alleged victims of Thomas Markle Sr, whose case involves claims that some of the images depict him abusing children.
The 82-year-old, who strongly denies any wrongdoing, was placed under house arrest after FBI agents allegedly found child pornography in storage units he had rented in Los Angeles.
Federal officers detained Markle on Friday morning after arriving at his Maravida Senior Living care home in Lakeland, Florida. The alleged material had reportedly been discovered in two units he had leased for almost 20 years.
The former Hollywood lighting director, whose arrest was first reported by Our News Outlet, faces one federal count of possessing child pornography.
Markle did not enter a plea during his initial court appearance. He was released on bond later that afternoon and ordered to remain under house arrest at the care facility.
Exclusive Our News Outlet photographs showed Markle, who uses a wheelchair after having a leg amputated in the Philippines last year, being led from the home in handcuffs shortly after 9am local time as police surrounded the property.
A close friend of Meghan has now said the Duchess wants justice for those allegedly harmed by her father, according to reports.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, 45, is pictured here with her father Thomas Markle Sr, 82, before the pair became estranged
Thomas Sr is pictured after he was arrested over allegations of possession of child porn in LA
The Duchess and her husband Harry, the Duke of Sussex, were told what the FBI had found stashed inside her father’s LA storage units on Friday
The friend told The Sun: “It is her sincere hope that a complete and rigorous investigation will help ensure justice for the victims.”
Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, 42, were informed about the FBI’s discovery in the Los Angeles units as Markle was taken to court on Friday.
Our News Outlet has contacted the Sussexes for a response.
Markle is said not to have visited either storage unit for years, although he continued paying about £520 a month to rent them.
His detention came roughly two weeks after his son, Thomas Markle Jr, 60, reported him to authorities in the Philippines.
Thomas Jr had been living in the Philippines before his father returned to the United States following a blood clot that led to the amputation of his leg last December.
He reportedly contacted police after finding the material among belongings his father had left behind in the city of Cebu.
Thomas Jr is then said to have alerted the FBI to material allegedly being kept by his father in Los Angeles.
Among the stash of alleged child pornography, Thomas Sr held images that are said to be of him ‘abusing pre-pubescent girls’
A close friend of Meghan has claimed the Duchess hopes for a ‘thorough investigation’ into her father
A security guard waits outside an assisted living facility in Lakeland, Florida, US, November 6, 2026, before the arrival of Thomas Markle Sr, after he was charged with one count of possession of child pornography
US investigators allegedly recovered film negatives and books described in court documents as containing child pornography.
The FBI used specialist equipment to turn the negatives into colour digital images. Among the photographs, investigators claim, were pictures showing Thomas Sr allegedly abusing a naked pre-pubescent girl.
In an affidavit made public on Thursday, an FBI agent said one negative appeared to show “an image of an adult man wearing a white button-down shirt and blue jeans sitting on a white surface”.
The affidavit stated: “A nude pre-pubescent girl is sitting on the adult man’s lap so that her back is against his left chest.”
The agent alleged that the man was touching the child while committing an act of abuse.
“Based on my training and experience, the girl pictured in image one is pre-pubescent,” the agent wrote.
“The child’s nudity, pose and the adult man’s actions appear designed to elicit a sexual response from the viewer.”
A second image allegedly shows an adult man with his arm around the girl’s hips while appearing to look down at her naked body.
A third photograph reportedly depicts a naked child sitting on a bed, with another partially dressed girl positioned behind her.
FBI agents have interviewed witnesses as they work to identify the adult shown in the images. A source who reportedly knew Thomas Sr since the 1970s is said to have identified him.
During his arrest, Markle appeared distressed, scowling and looking around in disbelief as agents placed him into an ambulance waiting outside.
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Asked by an Our News Outlet reporter whether he was a paedophile, the 82-year-old answered “no” in a faint voice. He did not respond when asked whether he had ever collected child pornography.
Still dressed in the same worn T-shirt and black sweatpants, the silver-haired retiree was taken into court on Friday afternoon. His hands could be seen trembling during the hearing.
Judge Lindsay Griffin outlined the allegations, including claims that Markle appeared in two of the images described in the criminal complaint.
When the judge asked whether he understood, Markle winced before quietly replying, “yes”.
The arrest came only days after Our News Outlet notified US authorities about alleged child pornography found in a storage unit Markle had rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico.
Thomas Sr has vehemently denied wrongdoing and when asked by a Our News Outlet reporter whether he was a paedophile, replied ‘no’
Police in the Philippines are also reportedly close to filing charges against Markle after alleged child abuse images were discovered at his former home there last month.
“Mr Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
“Working with our Justice Department partners, our agents moved quickly, identified and located the explicit material, and arrested Mr Markle in Florida.”
After spending years overseas, Markle moved to Florida in the spring. Shortly before his arrest, he had transferred to a senior-living facility specialising in dementia care, where the monthly cost is estimated at $3,900 (£2,900).
The international investigation began after alleged child pornography was found at two locations connected to Markle’s retirement years.
During the search in California, FBI agents seized about 78 items from the two units, including slides, film negatives and books that court documents describe as suspected child pornography.
Investigators developed some of the negatives and found photographs believed to have been taken decades ago. Court papers allege that several show Markle sexually abusing young girls at a motel in the Philippines.
Other images allegedly show Markle with children in different states of undress inside what investigators believe was the Anahaw Lodge motel, according to the complaint.
Markle had rented the Los Angeles units since 2008 and reportedly made an automatic payment as recently as last month, the criminal complaint states.
“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said.
The Los Angeles search followed a raid by Mexican authorities on a storage unit in Rosarito last weekend, one day after Our News Outlet alerted the FBI to the alleged discovery.
Guardia Nacional officers identifying themselves as state sex-crimes investigators were seen entering the 5ft by 10ft unit, located about three miles from Markle’s former home in the Mexican resort.
The team included digital-forensics specialists, a crime-scene investigator and officials from the Baja state attorney general’s office. They were seen examining the contents with a flashlight and going through battered boxes.
According to an onlooker, one agent recoiled while viewing the material and exclaimed “Ay cabron”, a Spanish expression that can mean “holy crap” or “oh, damn”.
A search warrant obtained by Our News Outlet said investigators had judicial authorisation to look for “evidence consisting of child sexual abuse material” and evidence linked to the alleged aggravated human-trafficking offence.
Authorities reportedly catalogued and removed items including a computer, USB drives, VHS tapes and magazines before sealing the unit with an official seizure notice, a source said.
The search at Baja Storage, a gated facility about 10 miles south of the US border, followed Our News Outlet’s discovery of photographs of naked Asian females and magazines depicting the sexual abuse of children inside Unit 22.
Afterward, the unit was locked and covered with Mexican Guardia Nacional notices reading “Aseguramiento de inmuebles”, meaning “seizure of property”, indicating that its contents had been taken by authorities.
Our reporting team found the unit while examining Markle’s former life in the gated expatriate community of San Antonio del Mar.
The Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father rented Unit 22 in 2017. He reportedly fell behind on payments two years ago and left for the Philippines in early 2025 without clearing out the space.
Employees and the owner of the storage business said they had no knowledge of the alleged cache and were horrified by what was found.
Markle has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. After reports of the alleged material emerged, he told Our News Outlet on Saturday: “I had no storage units in Rosarito!”
Alongside family letters, photographs and other personal keepsakes, investigators allegedly found black-and-white prints of naked Asian females, some of whom appeared notably young, as well as books and magazines sexualising children as “Lolitas”.
The unit also reportedly contained strips of 35mm negatives showing voyeuristic images of children on a beach and dusty VHS tapes with titles including “Boys – Brother and Sister – Russian XX” and “Manila Nites”.
Old computers, hard drives and a paper plate marked “DARK WEB” in red ink, alongside several URLs, were also reportedly found. Authorities have not said what the hard drives or videotapes contain.
The material discovered by Our News Outlet prompted an immediate investigation involving officials in both the United States and Mexico.
READ MORE: Meghan Markle’s estranged dad Thomas is charged after Our News Outlet reported him to the FBI and new storage unit containing ‘photos of him abusing girls’ is found in LA
