The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it received a letter in January 2019 containing “a number of claims” about alleged offending by Thomas Markle, after Meghan said the document had prompted her to cut contact between her father and her family.
The force said the letter was sent to its Protection Command because of concerns about the security of the Duchess of Sussex. It is now reviewing how the matter was handled and considering whether the Independent Office for Police Conduct should be asked to examine its approach.
In a statement, a Met spokesperson said: “Following a thorough review of Met Police systems and records, we have confirmed that in January 2019, we received a letter containing a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom.”
“It was sent to the MPS Protection Command to raise concerns in relation to the security of the Duchess of Sussex,” the statement added.
The force said the letter was reviewed and passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “for their awareness”. Its contents were not shared with other law enforcement agencies, it said.
“The MPS is reviewing the handling of this matter in 2019 and considering whether a referral to the IOPC is necessary to review our approach,” the spokesperson said.
Meghan said letter influenced decision to cut contact
Meghan said she had been shown the letter after it was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2018. She said it contained “troubling and disturbing” allegations about her father and that she had been assured they were being investigated.
In a statement, the duchess said: “I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them.”
She said she was “deeply distressed” by allegations that had emerged and that her thoughts were with “any children who may have been harmed”.
The Sussexes said they still had a copy of the letter and had offered to share it with police if officers were unable to locate it. The Met had previously said it was trying to trace the document and had not investigated Mr Markle.
The timing of the letter has not been fully explained. Meghan married Prince Harry in May 2018, while the Met now says its records show that the document was received in January 2019.
Allegations against Thomas Markle remain unproven
The development came after Thomas Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr, gave Philippine police material he said he had found at his father’s former home in Cebu City. He claimed the material included “hundreds, if not thousands” of obscene images.
Philippine authorities are investigating the allegations, while the FBI said it was aware of them and would support the Philippine authorities where appropriate. The US agency also said it would investigate any related allegations of violations of federal law.
Mr Markle has vehemently denied the claims. He described them as “sick lies” and said: “I could never do what I’m being accused of.”
He also said: “It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of. This is bulls***. It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”
Meghan and her father became estranged before her wedding after he posed for paparazzi photographs and was unable to walk her down the aisle after suffering two heart attacks. The Sussexes left the UK in 2020 but returned this month.
Questions remain over who sent the letter to the Met, what action was taken in response and which authorities, if any, investigated the allegations. The force has not said that it conducted an investigation into Mr Markle.
