Thomas Markle photographed in California in 2018, the year his daughter married Prince Harry. ( Supplied: MEGA/GC Images )
US authorities have charged Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, with possessing child pornography.
In a statement, the US Justice department said: "A Florida man was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint alleging he 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.
"Thomas Wayne Markle, 82, of Lakeland, Florida, is charged with one count of possession of child pornography."
British media ran images of FBI agents arresting Mr Markle at a Florida aged-care home on Friday.
The Duchess of Sussex, an actor and entrepreneur, is among the world's most identifiable people, and married the King Charles II's second son, Prince Harry, in 2018.
She has been estranged from her father for almost a decade, and criticised him last month when it was revealed police were investigating him.
"I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed," the Duchess said in the statement, issued on October 23, adding: "I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications' distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them."
The ABC understands she will not comment on his arrest.
