Meghan Markle’s strained relationship with her father Thomas Markle has been back in the news again after he was arrested in the US over child sexual abuse material allegations.
It has led to questions about why the family dispute has lasted so long and why Duchess Meghan hasn’t seen her father for years.
Thomas Markle, 82 was arrested in Florida on November 6, 2026 after an FBI investigation. He is charged with one count of possessing child sexual abuse material. Federal investigators recovered about 78 items (slides, film negatives and books containing suspected abusive material) from two storage units in the Los Angeles area in the criminal complaint.
Investigators said some of the recovered photos showed Thomas Markle with underage girls. The materials were reportedly found in searches related to information he gave to authorities about his possessions in the Philippines. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
Thomas Markle was arrested and taken before a magistrate judge in Tampa, Florida. He was released pending further proceedings on home detention and electronic monitoring. No plea was entered at his first court appearance; the allegations remain under legal process.
Thomas Markle has denied the accusations calling them false claims and Meghan says she was distressed by the allegations and hopes justice is done but safety of children comes first.
Why did Meghan Markle cut ties with her father
Meghan and Thomas Markle reportedly had a falling out in the months before she married Prince Harry in May 2018. Their family feud became public when Thomas was embroiled in paparazzi staged pictures which showed him preparing for the royal wedding that were later revealed to have been arranged with a photographer.
The controversy added more fuel to the fire as Meghan prepared to marry into the British royal family. Thomas didn’t make it to the wedding either because he had heart surgery just before the ceremony (he also couldn’t attend due to health problems).
After the wedding things got worse. Thomas gave several interviews to media organisations and publicly discussed his daughter’s private life and family disagreements. Public comments were reportedly making reconciliation more difficult.
Meghan's Decision to Protect Her Children
Meghan has also said that keeping her father away from Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet was about their safety: “I was made aware in 2018 of some troubling allegations against my father and I had assurances that it was being looked into”.
The Duchess has questioned how earlier concerns were dealt with and said the distance between them was not just a family quarrel. She has insisted that she did not want to endanger her children was why she didn’t allow contact.
The latest arrest has reignited the family dispute and the earlier allegations. But Thomas Markle’s criminal case is not yet over the court will rule on evidence presented at trial.
For Meghan it is another difficult chapter in an already complicated relationship with her father and the legal process will add further scrutiny to the case.
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