Meghan's father Thomas Markle appears in court charged with possessing child abuse material

The Duchess of Sussex's father has appeared in court after being arrested and charged with allegedly possessing child sexual abuse images.

Thomas Markle, 82, was pictured in handcuffs in a wheelchair as FBI agents escorted him from a Florida retirement home.

He was transported by ambulance for a short court hearing in Tampa and charged with one count of "possession of child pornography".

How court hearing unfolded

US Attorney Bill Essayli said agents had seized about 78 items including "slides, film negatives and books" in two Los Angeles storage units allegedly rented by Mr Markle.

The items found are said to include "sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls".

"These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr Markle to the fullest extent of federal law," Mr Essayli said.

Authorities said Mr Markle had rented the two storage units since 2008.

He did not enter a plea at Friday's hearing and was released back to a senior care facility with an electronic tag so his location can be monitored.

The judge also ordered a psychiatric examination to ensure he is able to understand the legal proceedings.

It comes just two weeks after Meghan's half-brother Thomas Markle Jr said he had found "hundreds, if not thousands" of child abuse images while clearing out his father's property in the Philippines and had reported him to authorities there, as well as in the US.

He also gave belongings allegedly containing the lewd images to Philippine authorities.

Police there found thousands of photographs and a video of child sexual abuse in phones, memory cards and other belongings discovered in Mr Markle's former home in the central Philippines province of Cebu, officials have said.

'Most deplorable' images

Philippines Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla described the images as "most deplorable," but police said they do not know who owned, produced and distributed the obscene pictures.

Mr Remulla said: "We recovered 7,500 photos and one video of underage males and females of Asian, Latina and European descent."

It was, he said, "the most deplorable displays of impunity towards sexual activity that I have ever seen".

Thomas Markle Snr has called allegations against him "sick lies".

In the fallout, it also emerged Metropolitan Police had shared a letter with the duchess in 2019 about alleged offending by her father outside the UK.

However, the force did not inform other law enforcement agencies.

Meghan has been estranged from her father since 2018 and he did not attend her wedding to Prince Harry.

The duchess has recently revealed the decision to cut off her father was to protect her children.

She said she was "deeply distressed" by the claims against him, but the couple have so far declined to comment on Friday's decision to charge him.

'More' sympathy for Meghan

Royal commentator Jennie Bond told Sky News that "there will be a great deal more" public sympathy for the duchess following the revelations, adding "as there should be".

Ms Bond said she had spoken to "someone extremely close to her, very shortly before this arrest", who told her Meghan was "as well as can be expected in the circumstances".

Also, "she [the duchess] is appalled at the suffering that young children may or may not have been put through and of the families involved. And her thoughts are with them".

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Mr Markle, a former TV lighting director, moved back to the US earlier this year after suffering a stroke and having his leg amputated.

Police in the Philippines were last week handed a warrant by a court to start examining the digital material handed over by Mr Markle Jr.

(c) Sky News 2026: Meghan's father Thomas Markle appears in court charged with possessing child abuse material