Meghan Markle’s father, with whom the Duchess of Sussex has had no contact for years, has been arrested by the FBI as part of an investigation into the possession of child pornography.

The case has taken on international dimensions, as authorities in the United States, Mexico and the Philippines investigate evidence discovered at locations where Thomas Markle lived or kept personal belongings.

Federal agents carried out an operation at the Maravida Senior Living assisted-living facility in Lakeland, Florida, where Markle resides, following the discovery of large quantities of inappropriate material at locations linked to him in the Philippines and Mexico in recent weeks.

His arrest in the United States comes just days after federal authorities were informed of the discovery of child sexual abuse material in a storage unit Markle had rented near his former residence in Rosarito, Mexico.

Meanwhile, police in the Philippines are reportedly close to formally charging him after images of child sexual abuse were discovered at his former residence in the country last month.

In a significant escalation of the investigations, Mexican police raided the storage unit in Rosarito. Officers from Mexico’s National Guard entered the premises, which are located approximately five kilometres from Markle’s former home in the coastal city.

The team, which included digital forensics specialists, a crime-scene investigator and officials from the Baja California state prosecutor’s office, examined the various boxes inside the premises using flashlights.

According to an eyewitness, one of the agents reacted with visible shock upon seeing the material, exclaiming “Ay cabrón”, a Spanish expression that can be rendered as “Oh my God!” or “What the hell!”

What authorities discovered in the storage unit

A copy of the search warrant reveals that investigators had obtained judicial authorisation to search for “evidence constituting child sexual abuse material”, as well as evidence relating to “the suspected commission of the crime of human trafficking under aggravating circumstances”.

According to a source, police officers documented and seized various items, including a computer, portable USB storage devices, VHS videotapes and a stack of magazines.

The storage unit had been rented by the father of the Duchess of Sussex in 2017. However, he stopped paying the rent two years ago and, in early 2025, moved to the Philippines without first clearing out the premises.

Employees and the owner of the business said they knew nothing about the contents of the storage unit and expressed their horror at what had been discovered.

For his part, Markle categorically denied any illegal activity when information about the material in question first became public.

“I didn’t have any storage unit in Rosarito!” he told the Daily Mail.

In addition to family mementoes, letters and photographs containing no suspicious material, the storage unit reportedly contained black-and-white photographs of naked Asian women, some of whom appeared particularly young, as well as books and magazines depicting children in a sexualised manner and describing them as “Lolitas”.

Also discovered were strips of 35mm photographic negatives showing children on a beach, as well as old VHS videotapes bearing titles such as “Boys – Brother and Sister – Russian XX” and “Manila Nites”.

The premises also contained old computers, hard drives and a paper plate on which the words “DARK WEB” had been written in red ink, alongside various internet addresses.

The search warrant and FBI-Mexico cooperation

The investigation also involves FBI personnel based in Southern California, who are responsible for coordinating law-enforcement operations with their counterparts south of the US border.

According to the warrant, Mexican prosecutors had asked Judge Estefani Moreno Gutierrez of the Baja California Judicial Authority to authorise the search during a closed-door hearing on 30 October.

“The search shall be conducted exclusively for the purpose of seeking, locating and securing evidence constituting child sexual abuse material, which may exist in printed form, as well as on USB storage devices and memory cards from cameras and mobile phones,” the document stated.

“The search shall also seek to identify all communication devices, including mobile phones, laptops, computers, tablets or any other electronic devices on which sexually explicit videos may have been stored.”

Markle moved to Rosarito in 2011, a quiet coastal area particularly popular with American retirees. It was while he was living there that his relationship with his daughter, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, broke down.

In early 2025, Markle moved again, this time to the Philippines.

The parallel investigation in the Philippines

A separate investigation is under way in the Southeast Asian country following claims by Markle’s own son that he discovered “hundreds, if not thousands” of images of child sexual abuse inside boxes his father had transported there.

Police officers in the city of Cebu subsequently confirmed that they had found “sexually explicit material” on digital devices discovered among his personal belongings, including videos featuring underage boys and girls.

For his part, Markle described the reports concerning alleged child pornography linked to him in the Philippines as “sick lies”, which he claimed had been fabricated by his son.

He admitted that he had paid for sexual services in the country, but insisted that he had never had sexual contact with anyone under the age of 18.

“I have never had sex with anyone under the age of 18,” he told the Daily Mail last week. “I like Asian women, but that is not a crime.”

Meghan Markle’s reaction

Following the publication of the allegations, the Duchess of Sussex said she was “deeply shocked by the information that has come to light”, adding that “her thoughts are with any children who may have suffered abuse”, referring to the investigation under way in the Philippines.

Prince Harry’s wife first became aware of the allegations against her father when a letter was forwarded to her through London’s Metropolitan Police in 2019.

The letter, which was reportedly sent by Roslyn Loveless, Markle’s first wife, who has since died, contained the allegation that he had admitted travelling to the Far East in order to have sexual relations with underage girls.

According to reports, Loveless wrote:

“I asked Thomas. He denied the allegation, but stated that he went to the Philippines and Thailand because 12-year-olds are legal there.”