Thomas Markle Returned to Federal Custody After Allegedly Removing Ankle Monitor

On Tuesday morning, Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Tampa, Florida, and left in custody. Prosecutors say he had removed his ankle monitor earlier that same morning. Judge Lindsay S Griffin found that he had violated the conditions of his pretrial release and denied him bond, according to court documents.

Markle had been placed under house detention only the week before, after his arrest on a charge of possessing child sex abuse material. Along with the home detention, he was ordered to wear a location monitoring device. He appeared in court after that arrest, but no plea was taken at the hearing, which set the conditions for his release. The Department of Justice says he faces one count of possessing indecent images of children. Markle has denied possessing such images and has called the allegations "sick lies". The BBC has contacted his representatives.

In the order revoking his release, Judge Griffin called Markle's housing situation "untenable". He wrote that, "based on the lack of suitable housing, no condition or combination of conditions would reasonably assure the safety of any other person or the community and the defendant's appearance in court". The judge also ordered a medical evaluation and wrote that Markle "must receive all necessary and prescribed medication unless discontinued by a physician".

Bill Essayli, the US attorney for Central California, commented on X on Tuesday. "Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions," he wrote, adding that prosecutors would continue the case "to the fullest extent of the law".

The case began with FBI searches carried out on warrants at storage units in Los Angeles registered to Markle. The DoJ says he had rented them since 2008, with the most recent payment made in October this year. Agents seized about 78 items, among them film negatives, slides and books, which the FBI alleges contained child sex abuse material.

According to the allegations, witnesses "positively identified" Markle in two of the images believed to contain such material. The man pictured appears to be in his 30s to 40s, which suggests the alleged abuse dates back decades, since Markle is now 82. FBI director Kash Patel said last week that Markle "allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions". These remain allegations; no plea has been entered and nothing has been proven in court.

Markle's circumstances have changed considerably in recent years. He moved to the Philippines last year after a series of strokes and lived in Cebu until May. He was reportedly learning to walk again in Florida after having a leg amputated.

Meghan has been estranged from her father since 2018. The BBC understands she broke off contact with him last year, telling him that she and the authorities knew he had abused young girls. In a previously shared statement, she confirmed the existence of that letter and wrote: "I am deeply distressed... my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed." She said she hoped it could be understood why she had largely cut off contact and did "not allow him to have contact with our children".

What to watch next is the medical evaluation the court has ordered and how prosecutors proceed, with the judge's finding on housing now standing as the stated reason Markle remains in custody.