London police confirm receipt of 2019 letter detailing claims against Meghan's father

For the past week, public attention has focused on the legal status of Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. On Saturday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed it holds a letter from 2019 that outlines a number of claims regarding Markle. This official acknowledgment resolves a question that has lingered since media reports surfaced earlier this week.

The letter was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. Police stated that the specific allegations contained within the document were not shared with other law enforcement agencies. The confirmation follows reports from The Sun on Thursday, which claimed Thomas Markle Jr. had reported his father to Philippine authorities. The younger man allegedly discovered child abuse materials in storage boxes at the family home in the Philippines. By Friday, reports indicated Philippine authorities were addressing the matter, while The Daily Mail noted Markle had denied the allegations.

In a statement sent to CBS News on Friday, Meghan described herself as deeply distressed by the coverage. She stated she had known of the allegations since 2018. According to her statement, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2018. That letter was subsequently shared with her. The statement said the document made troubling and disturbing allegations against her father and that she was given assurances the matter was being investigated.

Meghan also explained that she had kept her distance from her father to protect her children. She said she hoped the public could now understand that, despite certain media publications' distortion over the years, her decision not to allow him contact with the children had one reason: to protect them.

The primary point of conflict between the two accounts is the date of the letter. Meghan referred to 2018, while Scotland Yard identified the document as arriving in 2019. A spokesman for the duchess addressed this timeline in comments to BBC News. The spokesman described any discrepancy of a few months as an understandable consequence of that passage of time.

The Metropolitan Police announced it will review how the matter was handled in 2019. As part of that internal process, the force will decide whether to refer itself to the police watchdog.