Met Police confirm 2019 letter about Meghan's father was sent to her office

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that they passed a 2019 letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The document contained allegations of "alleged offending" involving Thomas Markle Sr, the father of Meghan Markle. Scotland Yard stated the letter was received in January 2019 and made claims about conduct outside Britain. The force said it did not share the information with other law enforcement agencies at the time.

The confirmation followed reports from The Sun that Markle’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, discovered images of child sexual abuse at a former family home in Cebu, Philippines. Markle Jr, 60, told detectives he found "hundreds, if not thousands" of such images on computers and mobile phones stored in four large boxes. Markle Sr lived in the home until returning to the United States in May after a stroke. Markle Jr said he also contacted the FBI regarding the discovery.

Thomas Markle Sr has denied the claims. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he called the accusations "sick lies." A Met spokesperson said the force conducted a thorough review of its systems and records. The letter was sent to the Protection Command to raise security concerns for the Duchess. The spokesperson noted that a decision was made to pass the letter to the royal office for their awareness.

Meghan Markle said through a spokesperson on Friday that she was "deeply distressed" by the news. She stated her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed. She confirmed that a letter containing "troubling and disturbing allegations" had been shared with her and that she was given assurances an investigation was underway. She explained that her decision to keep her father away from her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, was made to protect them.

The Duchess is estranged from her father, who has never met his grandchildren. She and Prince Harry recently moved back to the United Kingdom from the US. Meghan initially stated the letter was sent in 2018 but later corrected the year to 2019. A spokesperson said the error was understandable given the events occurred more than seven years ago without a contemporaneous record. They noted that if the Met holds a time-stamped record from 2019, that should be the accurate reference point.

Sources indicated that Meghan could not speak publicly about the allegations in 2019 to avoid jeopardizing a future investigation. They said speaking out could have also triggered legal action against her. The Met said it is currently reviewing how the matter was handled in 2019. The force is considering whether to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The review is ongoing. The Met has not yet decided on a formal referral to the IOPC. The next step in the process is for the force to complete its internal assessment of the 2019 handling of the letter.