MEGHAN MARKLE AND FATHER THOMAS MARKLE.TAKEN FROM INSTAGRAM (Image: undefined)
Meghan Markle’s brother, Thomas Markle Jnr, has spoken out about his “monster” father’s arrest on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material. The material allegedly includes images showing Thomas Markle Snr naked with young girls.
Markle Snr’s son, and Meghan’s half-brother, was left reeling by their father’s first mugshot from a prison facility where he now languishes following him allegedly cutting off his electronic monitoring tag – just days after being released on bail.
Markle Snr was arrested by FBI agents after they seized a haul of material from two Los Angeles storage units he rented for nearly two decades.
He is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and was subject to home detention and electronic tagging following his release on bail after his court appearance on Friday. But the 82-year-old is now in a prison facility after apparently cutting off the tag.
It is understood he is being kept separate from other prisoners.
Jack Nicholson walking through snowy maze in lobby card for the film ‘The Shining’, 1980. (Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)
The son declared “he looks like Jack Nicholson in The Shining” as the mugshot of the Duchess of Sussex’s father emerged, showing him scowling down the camera in a bright orange prison uniform.
Thomas Markle Jnr, 60, said he believed his “monster” of a father deliberately tore off the device so he could get free medical care behind bars, according to reports from The Sun.
Meghan’s estranged 82-year-old dad was taken back into custody in the US after allegedly breaching the conditions of his pre-trial release, accused of cutting off the electronic ankle gadget monitoring his movements while under house arrest.
He has now been charged with possessing child sexual abuse material.
Undated handout photo issued by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office of the Duchess of Sussex’s father Thomas Markle, who is back in custody for cutting off his electronic tag just days after his arrest for possessing child sex abuse material, including images of himself with naked young girls. Thomas Markle Sr was released on bail by a judge on Friday subject to him being placed under house arrest and wearing a location monitoring device. Issue date: Wednesday November 11, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office/Press Association NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. (Image: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office/Press Association)
His jail photo was released by the Pinellas County sheriff’s office following his re-arrest on Tuesday night, just days after he was charged.
Thomas Jnr recalled the 1980 horror film famous for its terrifying ‘Here’s Johnny’ line, telling The Sun: “I couldn’t believe that mugshot – my dad looks just as angry and crazy as Jack Nicholson in The Shining.”
According to first assistant US attorney Bill Essayli, Markle Snr appeared in federal court in Tampa, Florida, after authorities learned he had cut off the tag at 1.45am (6.45am UK time), reports continue.
US magistrate judge Lindsay Saxe Griffin ordered Markle to stay in custody until the end of his trial, having “violated the conditions of his pretrial release”. She said he should be detained separately, as far as possible, from the general prison population.
The judge added his dementia care home stay had “become untenable” and that he had surrendered his US passport and Philippines visa.
The pair moved to the the Philippines in January last year but Markle Snr returned to the States for treatment after a blood clot forced medics to amputate his left leg.
Thomas Jnr said yesterday: “I’m not surprised he’s being accused of removing the tag because he probably realised there’s no one to take care of him if he stayed at home.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 15: Thomas Markle Jr. attends the Rocco’s Collision Presents Celebrity Boxing 68: Thomas Markle Jr v Nacho Press Conference on May 15, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images)Rocco’s Collision Presents Celebrity Boxing 68: Thomas Markle Jr v Nacho Press Conference (Image: Getty Images)
“My sister Samantha was his carer but is now in a wheelchair and he wouldn’t be able to cope on his own.”
Markle Snr came under investigation after he was reported to police in the Philippines and the FBI last month by his son, Thomas Markle Jr, who allegedly found illegal images in his father’s belongings in Cebu City.
Meghan said she was “deeply distressed” at the allegations surrounding her father, from whom she has been estranged since the run-up to her 2018 wedding.
