Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has reportedly been arrested by police over allegations of possessing child sexual abuse images. Although the case remains sealed, at least three sources have confirmed Thomas’ arrest to CBS.

BBC News too, published a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice confirming the 82-year-old’s arrest. The statement read, “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.”

The entire fiasco began when The Sun reported that Thomas’ son, Thomas Markle Jr., had allegedly discovered child sexual abuse images in his father’s possession while clearing out his residence in the Philippines.

However, speaking to the Daily Mail, Markle Sr. denied the allegations, calling them “a bunch of lies.” He added, “I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.”

Meghan Markle previously spoke out about allegations against her father

Following news of the investigation, Meghan stated that she was “deeply distressed” with the current turn of events. The Duchess of Sussex also pointed out that back in 2018, a letter was shared with the Metropolitan Police in London about Thomas Markle Sr.

Speaking about her decision to maintain a distance from her father, Meghan said, “It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father, and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.”

She added, “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. I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.”

After the arrest of Markle Sr., representatives of neither Meghan nor the FBI have commented on the matter.