The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the UK police watchdog after failing to pass on a letter containing allegations about Thomas Markle Sr to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies.
The letter was instead sent to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. The referral concerns both decisions, the force said.
The development comes as authorities in the Philippines investigate allegations that child sexual abuse images were found at Mr Markle’s former home in the country.
Meghan Markle’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, has said he found the material and reported it to Philippine police and the FBI. Mr Markle Sr has denied possessing a hoard of such images, although he has admitted paying for sex in the Philippines.
Met Police review of 2019 letter
The Metropolitan Police said it received the letter in January 2019. Its author suggested they were raising concerns about the security of the Duchess of Sussex, but the force said it did not contain information specifically related to security matters.
Instead, it contained claims about alleged offending outside the UK, which were assessed before the letter was passed to the Sussexes’ office.
Commander Adam Slonecki, who leads the Met’s Protection Command, said: “The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.”
He said the letter had been addressed to the Protection Command, specifically the Fixated Threats Assessment Centre, and that its author had linked the concerns to the Duchess’s security.
Following an internal review, the force made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the decision not to inform other law enforcement agencies and the decision to pass the letter to the Sussexes’ office.
Meghan has previously described the allegations concerning her father as “very distressing”. Mr Markle Sr has denied the accusations under investigation in the Philippines.
