Thomas Markle Sr. ordered detained after allegedly cutting off ankle monitor

Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, had his conditions of release revoked and was ordered to be detained pending trial on Tuesday after allegedly cutting off his ankle monitor while on home confinement.

Magistrate Judge Lindsey Griffin said Markle, 82, violated his release conditions after his arrest last week for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material.

“At the conclusion of that hearing, I found that the defendant violated the conditions of his pretrial release and 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,” Griffin wrote in court documents.

Markle was ordered to submit to home detention and electronic monitoring after being arrested on Nov. 6 in Florida on one count of possession of child pornography.

Markle, who lives near Tampa, allegedly cut off his court-ordered location monitoring device overnight Tuesday, Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said.

 He is accused of keeping suspected child sexual abuse material in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

A lawyer for Markle has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment.

According to court documents filed late last week, Griffin, who oversaw Markle’s initial court appearance on Nov. 6, ordered an independent doctor to conduct a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is competent to stand trial.

“Based on the information provided about the defendant’s health condition, as well as the defendant’s advanced age and lack of recall, I find reasonable cause to believe that the defendant may presently suffer from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense,” Judge Griffin wrote.

The doctor overseeing the evaluation of Markle must file a report by Nov. 20, according to Griffin.

If convicted, Markle would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Markle — who has been estranged from Meghan since her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry — denied allegations included in a report by The Sun last month that he was being investigated by authorities in the Philippines for allegedly possessing child sex abuse material following claims made by his son, Meghan’s half-brother. The Philippine Department of Justice later told ABC News the matter involving Thomas Markle Sr. is under investigation by an anti-trafficking task force in Cebu.

Markle had been living in the Philippines since early 2025 before recently moving to Florida. During Meghan’s childhood, he lived in Los Angeles, where he worked as a lighting director.

He called the allegations “sick lies” and “the worst thing anyone could accuse me of” in an interview with The Daily Mail published Oct. 23.

“I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of,” he told the outlet.

Meghan has not commented publicly on her father’s arrest.

Following The Sun’s initial report about her father before he was arrested, Meghan issued a statement saying, in part, “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.”