Meghan's father Thomas Markle charged over possession of child sex abuse material

BBC update

THOMAS Markle, the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been charged with possession of child sex abuse material.

The 82-year-old was arrested in Florida after the FBI searched two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for almost 20 years.

He is due to appear in court later, the Department of Justice says - here's more from the statement.

Markle previously denied allegations of possessing images of child sex abuse, calling the claims "sick lies".

It comes after reports of his arrest emerged earlier, with images published in news outlets appearing to show him in handcuffs surrounded by FBI.

The duchess has been estranged from her father since 2018 - in a statement last month, the wife of Prince Harry said: "I am deeply distressed... my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed".

She added that she hoped it could be understood why she had largely cut off contact with her father.