US judge orders psychiatric exam for Meghan Markle’s father

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — A US 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.

Thomas Markle, 82, is charged with one count of “possession of child pornography” and made an initial court appearance in Tampa, Florida on Friday.

Judge Lindsay Griffin cited his “health condition”, “advanced age” and “lack of recall” in the order issued on Friday, without providing further details.

Markle was taken into custody by FBI agents earlier that day at the retirement home where he lives in Lakeland, Florida.

The Justice Department said he allegedly “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”.

Pictures of child sex abuse have also allegedly been found at Markle’s former home in the Philippines and at a storage unit he rented in Mexico.

The judge said she found “reasonable cause to believe” that 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 defence”.

She instructed a psychiatrist to provide a report on Markle’s mental state by November 20.

The judge permitted Markle to be moved to house arrest with electronic monitoring, CNN reported.

Markle had been living in Cebu in the Philippines until reportedly returning to the United States this year.

Meghan Markle said last month that she was “deeply distressed” by accusations that her father possessed images of child sexual abuse.

He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.