82-year-old Meghan Markle's father removes ankle monitor hours before arrest
Federal officials confirmed Thomas Markle cut the device off at 1:45 a.m., shortly before police took him into custody in Tampa, Florida.
By Amina Howard ·
Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, removed an electronic monitoring device from his ankle before being taken into federal custody in Tampa, Florida. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated that Markle cut the ankle bracelet at 1:45 a.m. on Tuesday. Officers arrested him shortly after the removal was detected. He is currently in custody while awaiting a hearing in federal court.
Markle's detention follows a Friday arrest related to the storage of suspected child sexual abuse material. During that initial arrest, paramedics transported him from a senior care center in Lakeland. A judge later authorized his release on the condition that he wear an ankle tether. The same judicial order required a mental competency examination, with the results due by Nov. 20.
Federal authorities seized approximately 78 items from storage units in the Los Angeles area. These items included slides, film negatives, and books containing suspected images of child sexual abuse. Essayli noted that these seizures prompted the subsequent arrest. Markle had rented the storage units in California since 2008.
The legal proceedings follow a report by the British tabloid The Sun. The publication stated that Markle’s half-brother discovered a collection of such images while clearing out their father’s home in the Philippines. That discovery led investigators to the U.S. storage locations.
Meghan, who married Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018, has two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The actress, who starred in the television drama Suits, recently expressed that she was deeply distressed by the allegations. She revealed that a letter containing troubling allegations about her father was sent to police in London in 2019.
Regarding that 2019 letter, Meghan said, “It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.” She added, “I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children was for one reason: to protect them.”
Markle lived in the Philippines earlier this year but returned to the United States after suffering a stroke. The medical event required the amputation of his left leg. He has been residing in a senior care center in Lakeland since his return.
