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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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Thomas Markle Sr. was ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination Friday after appearing in a Tampa, Florida, court on a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material.
The evaluation could determine whether the 82-year-old understands the proceedings and can assist his lawyer.
Markle was returned to the senior care facility where he is currently residing under electronic monitoring, while the case is expected to move to California in several weeks.
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He left the Polk County residence in a wheelchair and handcuffs as federal agents transported him by ambulance, video posted by The Daily Mail, a British tabloid newspaper, showed.
Federal agents seized approximately 78 items from two Los Angeles-area storage units, including slides, film negatives and books containing suspected child sexual abuse material, according to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
Allegations Are 'Extremely Serious'
An FBI affidavit said some images appeared to show Markle with “nude prepubescent” girls.
“The affidavit also describes additional photographs that appear to show Markle with children in various stages of undress,” a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California states.
“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” Essayli said in a public statement.
Essayli said investigators had found no evidence of victims in the United States, although the inquiry remains active.
Markle has previously rejected the accusations as “sick lies.”
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and the Middle District of Florida Clerk’s Office seeking to confirm whether an attorney has been appointed to represent Markle and, if so, to obtain the lawyer’s name and contact details.
Newsweek also emailed the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office for an update on the examination of the material seized, whether any alleged victims have been identified and whether the investigation remains active in other jurisdictions.
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Why It Matters
A competency examination does not decide whether someone has or has not committed a crime.
In this case, it addresses whether Markle is mentally capable of participating in his defense as prosecutors pursue allegations carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years.
A Court Questions His Ability To Participate
U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin ordered the psychiatric examination amid concern that Markle might be unable to follow the case or communicate adequately with his attorney, according to The Associated Press.
At the courthouse, Markle wore black pants and a black T-shirt carrying an illustration of a cat with a tropical drink, according to CBS News.
He had returned to the United States after suffering a stroke and having his left leg amputated while living in the Philippines earlier this year.
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The Evidence Allegedly Found In Storage
The criminal complaint charges Markle with possession of child sex abuse images on or about October 30.
It remains an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Investigators traced the material to two units registered in his name in the Los Angeles area.
Rental records cited in the affidavit show that one had been maintained since approximately July 2008 and the other since June of that year.
Automatic payments continued into October 2026. Agents said boxes, mail and an international driving permit bearing Markle’s identifying information helped connect him to the contents.
Among the property were slides, books and 35mm film negatives. Investigators digitized some of the negatives and identified about 18 images they believed may constitute child sexual abuse material, although their review had not been completed when the affidavit was filed.
Two pictures allegedly showed a man with a prepubescent girl, while a third appeared to have been taken at an Anahaw Lodge property in the Philippines.
The filing says markings on the film indicated it had been manufactured in New York or Colorado, a detail used to support the federal interstate-commerce element of the charge.
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A Discovery Overseas Led Investigators To California
The inquiry developed after authorities learned in October that an individual had signed an affidavit concerning suspected material discovered among Markle’s possessions abroad.
A separate witness then disclosed the existence of a California storage unit, while information from the first person led agents to the second location.
Thomas Markle Jr. told The Sun, another British tabloid newspaper, that he found “hundreds, if not thousands” of images while clearing his father’s former home in Cebu City, and reported the discovery to Philippine police and the FBI.
“I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years, but that stops now,” he said. “I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.”
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Meghan Links Estrangement To Protecting Her Children
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, recently said she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations and disclosed that a letter containing troubling claims about her father had been sent to London police in 2019.
She said her decision to prevent him from having contact with her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, had been made “to protect them.”
What Happens Next
The next major step will be the result of the psychiatric assessment.
Prosecutors have not announced an arraignment date, leaving Markle under court supervision in Florida while the federal proceedings await transfer west.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Edward Pearcey.
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