US judge orders psychiatric exam for Meghan Markle's father

Markle was taken into custody by FBI agents earlier that day at the retirement home where he lives in Lakeland, Florida.

A private security guard stands beside a lit window outside Maravida Senior Living, where Thomas Markle was staying, in Lakeland, Florida, on November 6, 2026. Photo by RICARDO ARDUENGO / AFP

Thomas Markle, 82, is charged with one count of "possession of child pornography" and made an initial court appearance in Tampa in Florida on Friday.

Judge Lindsay Griffin cited Markle's "health condition," "advanced age" and "lack of recall" in the order issued on Friday, without providing further details.

The Justice Department said he allegedly "kept child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades."

Pictures of child sex abuse have also allegedly been found at Markle's former home in the Philippines and at a storage unit he rented in Mexico.

Source: Citizen Digital