A U.S. judge has ordered a psychiatric examination for Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, after his arrest for alleged possession of images of child sexual abuse.
The judge permitted Markle to be moved to house arrest with electronic monitoring, CNN reported.
Thomas Markle, 82, is charged with one count of “possession of child pornography” and made an initial court appearance in Tampa in Florida on Friday (November 6, 2026). Judge Lindsay Griffin cited his “health condition,” “advanced age” and “lack of recall” in the order issued without providing further details. The judge said she found “reasonable cause to believe” that Thomas Markle was suffering from a condition “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.
Thomas Markle was taken into custody by FBI agents earlier that day at the retirement home where he lives in Lakeland, Florida.
