TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was arrested Friday morning in Florida on a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material in storage units in California, authorities said.
Thomas Markle Sr. was arrested outside Tampa, according to people who were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
Federal agents searched two storage units in the Los Angeles area and “seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books” that contained suspected child sexual abuse images, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said.
The Daily Mail, a British tabloid newspaper, first reported Markle’s arrest.
Markle, who has rented the units since 2008, is charged with possessing images of child sexual abuse, Essayli said. His arrest follows reports by The Sun, another British tabloid, that Meghan’s half brother found a collection of such images while clearing out their father's home in the Philippines.
That overseas discovery led to information about the U.S. storage units. Some images appear to depict Markle with children, according to an FBI affidavit filed in court.
Markle was expected to make his initial court appearance Friday afternoon in Tampa, Florida. It was not immediately known if he has an attorney who can respond to the allegations.
“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” Essayli said.
Meghan, an American citizen who starred in the U.S. television drama “Suits,” married Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018. They have two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
She recently said she was “deeply distressed” by allegations that a collection of child sexual abuse images had been found at her father’s former home. She also revealed that a letter containing “troubling allegations” about him had been sent to London police in 2018.
“It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” Meghan said of the letter. "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.”
There was no immediate comment from Meghan’s representative on Friday.
Meghan's father, a retired television lighting and photography director, did not attend the wedding, prompting extensive coverage in the British media of Meghan’s estrangement from her father.
Thomas Markle Sr. was living in the Philippines earlier this year when he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated. That forced him to return to the U.S.
The Sun reported that Thomas Markle Jr. recently found “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sex abuse images in boxes at his father’s former home in Cebu City, in the Philippines. Markle Jr. told The Sun that he reported the images to police in the Philippines and contacted the FBI.
“I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years — but that stops now,” Markle Jr. said. “I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.”
Durkin Richer reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press journalist Ed White in Detroit contributed.
FILE - Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, attends the inauguration of "The Lost Screen Memorial" exhibition for the unveiling of a temporary memorial to protect children from online abuse, in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 17, 2026. (Cyril Zingaro/Keystone via AP, File)
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — A court in Tanzania convicted the country's main opposition leader Tundu Lissu of incitement Friday and sentenced him to four years in prison, but acquitted him of the more serious charge of treason.
Lissu, the chairman of the Chadema party, was found guilty of inciting people to disrupt last year’s election. The three-judge panel in Dar es Salaam ruled, however, that prosecutors had failed to prove he intended to intimidate the government. The treason charge carried a possible death sentence.
Lissu was arrested on April 9, 2025, after addressing a rally calling for electoral reforms and was charged with treason the following day.
Lissu, who has spent more than 18 months in detention, denied wrongdoing, saying his speech was part of a legitimate campaign.
“Those who are innocent, like me, do not apologize,” Lissu told the court. “You have sought out an offense that did not exist, and you have done so following political directives,” he said.
Lissu’s lead lawyer, Rugemeleza Nshala, said the defense planned to appeal and seek bail pending the appeal.
Amnesty International called for Lissu's conviction and sentence to be quashed and for his immediate and unconditional release. “The conviction and sentence cannot be considered the outcome of a fair trial,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty’s regional director for East and Southern Africa.
Supporters chanted “Viva!” as Lissu arrived at court amid tight security and raised a clenched fist. His hair had grown longer during his detention, and he wore it in dreadlocks. His elder sister and several Chadema leaders attended the proceedings.
Lissu remained in custody during last year’s general election, in which presidential candidates from the two main opposition parties were barred from competing.
His detention has been marked by disputes over access to his lawyers. After prison authorities allowed him to meet privately with his younger brother, he ended a brief hunger strike on Oct. 27, his lead lawyer, Rugemeleza Nshala, told The Associated Press.
The election triggered protests and deadly violence. An inquiry reported in April that at least 518 people had died. Its chairman, Mohamed Chande Othman, said the toll was likely higher because some families buried relatives without taking their bodies to morgues.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into the killings and reports that police removed bodies from mortuaries to undisclosed locations. Chadema estimated that about 2,000 people were killed, a figure the U.N. said it could not verify amid insecurity and an internet shutdown.
The judgment came days after Lissu’s elder brother, Alute Mughwai Lissu, died on Sunday. Lissu appealed to the court to release him so he could attend the burial.
“Please, let me go and lay Mzee Alute to rest,” he said.
Lissu was taken back to prison after sentencing.
He survived being shot 16 times in a 2017 assassination attempt and has spent periods in exile, citing threats to his life.
Associated Press writer Khaled Kazziha in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report.
Tanzanian opposition leader and CHADEMA chairman Tundu Lissu arrives at the High Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Florence Majani)
Relatives and supporters of Tanzanian opposition leader and CHADEMA chairman Tundu Lissu react as he arrives at the High Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Florence Majani)
Tanzanian police officers stand guard as opposition leader and CHADEMA chairman Tundu Lissu arrives outside the High Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Calvin Kulaya)
Supporters of CHADEMA cheer as opposition leader Tundu Lissu arrives at the High Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Florence Majani)
Tanzanian opposition leader and CHADEMA Chairperson Tundu Lissu arrives at the High Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Florence Majani)
Tanzanian opposition leader and CHADEMA chairman Tundu Lissu waves to supporters at the High Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Florence Majani)
FILE -Main opposition leader Tundu Lissu arrives at the High Court of Tanzania as his treason trial continues before a three-judge bench in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Feb 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Florence Majani, File)
