Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has been arrested in Florida by the FBI on suspicion of possessing child pornography.
According to claims made public, the case is linked to an international investigation that began after illegal material was discovered in two residences in Mexico and the Philippines, countries where Markle had spent part of the last years of his life.
The investigations continued across borders and led to his arrest in the United States, where he had returned last spring after several years living abroad.
His health condition has also drawn attention. Thomas Markle uses a wheelchair after having had one of his legs amputated. Shortly before his arrest, he had been accommodated in a residential care center for the elderly, specialized in caring for people with dementia, where a stay costs about $3,900 per month.
Thomas Markle has had a strained relationship with his daughter, Meghan, for years, and they have not been in close contact for a long time.