Met Police confirm 2019 letter on Thomas Markle Sr went to Sussex office only

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Saturday that a 2019 letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle Sr was sent directly to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The disclosure clarifies that the document, which detailed claims of offending outside Britain, was not shared with other law enforcement agencies at the time.

The confirmation follows reports that Markle Sr had child sexual abuse images. According to The Sun, Meghan Markle’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, told detectives in the Philippines that he found hundreds or thousands of such images on devices stored in four boxes at their father’s home in Cebu. Markle Jr stated he contacted the FBI after the discovery. Markle Sr, who lived in the Philippines until returning to the US in May following a stroke, denied the claims in an interview with the Daily Mail, calling them sick lies.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said the force received the letter in January 2019. The document was forwarded to the Protection Command to raise security concerns regarding the Duchess. The spokesperson stated that after review, the letter was passed to the Sussex office for their awareness. The force is currently reviewing how the matter was handled and is considering a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Meghan Markle, who recently moved back to the UK with Prince Harry, addressed the news on Friday. She described herself as deeply distressed and expressed thoughts for any children potentially harmed. She confirmed that a letter with troubling allegations about her father had been shared with her and that she was assured an investigation was underway. Her spokesperson noted that the Duchess had initially recalled the letter as being from 2018 but confirmed it was 2019, citing the lack of contemporaneous records for events from over seven years ago.

The Duchess is estranged from her father, who has not met her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Meghan said her decision to limit contact between Markle Sr and her children was made to protect them. Sources indicated that although she learned of the allegations in 2019, she could not speak publicly to avoid jeopardizing a potential investigation or facing legal action.