Met Police Confirm 2019 Letter on Meghan Markle's Father Sent to Sussex Office

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that a letter received in January 2019 regarding Thomas Markle Sr was sent to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The document contained claims of "alleged offending" by Markle Sr, who is the father of Meghan Markle. The force stated the information was not passed to other law enforcement agencies at the time.

This confirmation followed reports that Markle Sr had child sexual abuse images. The Sun newspaper reported that Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, 60, told detectives in the Philippines he found hundreds of images on computers and mobile phones. Markle Jr said these items were kept in four large boxes at his former home in Cebu, the Philippines. Markle Sr lived in that house until returning to the US in May after a stroke. Markle Jr also said he contacted the FBI in the US.

Markle Sr denied the allegations in an interview with the Daily Mail. He called the accusations "sick lies." A Met spokesperson said the force carried out a review of its systems and records. The letter was sent to the Protection Command of the Metropolitan Police Service to raise security concerns for the Duchess. The spokesperson noted that the letter was reviewed and a decision was made to pass it to the Sussex office for their awareness. The Met is currently reviewing how the matter was handled in 2019 and is considering a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Meghan Markle said through a spokesperson that she was "deeply distressed" by the news. She said her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed. She confirmed that a letter with "troubling and disturbing allegations" was shared with her and that she was given assurances the claims were being investigated. She stated that her decision to keep her father from having contact with her children was made to protect them.

The Duchess is estranged from her father, who has never met her children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five. Prince Harry and Meghan recently moved back to the UK from the US. Meghan initially said the letter was sent in 2018 in a statement on Friday. She later corrected the date to 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. The spokesperson added 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 Meghan could not speak publicly about the allegations when she learned of them in 2019. They said this was to avoid jeopardising any future investigation. They added that speaking out could have led to legal action against her.