Met Police Confirm They Passed 2019 Letter on Meghan's Father to Her Office, but Not to Other Forces

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they gave the Duchess of Sussex a letter in 2019 containing allegations of "alleged offending" involving her father. The confirmation followed claims that emerged on Friday that Thomas Markle Sr had child sexual abuse images.

Scotland Yard said it received the letter in January 2019 and that it made a number of claims about offending outside Britain. The force said the information was passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but not to "other law enforcement agencies".

The Sun newspaper reported that Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, said he found a stash of images belonging to their father at his former home in the Philippines. According to the paper, Markle Jr, 60, told detectives in the Philippines that he discovered "hundreds, if not thousands" of such images on computers and mobile phones kept in four large boxes at the house in Cebu. Markle Sr lived there until he returned to the US in May after suffering a stroke. The Sun also reported that Markle Jr said he had contacted the FBI in the US.

Markle Sr has denied the allegations. He told the Daily Mail that the accusations were "sick lies".

In a statement, a Met spokesperson said the force had carried out a thorough review of its systems and records. The letter was sent to the Protection Command of the Metropolitan Police Service to raise concerns about the security of the Duchess of Sussex. "The letter was reviewed and a decision was made that it should be passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness," the spokesperson said. The force added that it is reviewing how the matter was handled in 2019 and is considering whether to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

On Friday, Meghan said through a spokesperson that she was "deeply distressed" by the news and that her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed. She said a letter containing "troubling and disturbing allegations" about her father had been shared with her, and that she was given assurances they were being investigated. She said her decision to keep him from having contact with her children was made for one reason: to protect them.

The duchess is estranged from her father, who has never met her children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five. She and Prince Harry recently moved back to the UK from the US.

Meghan's statement on Friday said the letter was sent in 2018. She later said she had misremembered the year and confirmed it was 2019. A spokesperson said it was understandable she could be mistaken by a few months when recalling events from more than seven years ago without a diary entry or contemporaneous record. The spokesperson said that if the Met holds a time-stamped record showing the letter was reviewed in 2019, that should be treated as the accurate reference point.

Sources said that although Meghan learned of the allegations in 2019, she could not speak publicly. They said this was to avoid jeopardising any future investigation, and because speaking out could have led to legal action against her.