Met Police Audit 2019 Thomas Markle Complaint Handling
Scotland Yard confirmed receipt of a 2019 letter containing allegations against the Duchess of Sussex's father and will review how the force processed the report.
By Fatou Kim ·
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed on Saturday that it received a letter in 2019 making various claims about Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. A Scotland Yard spokesperson disclosed the existence of the document to CBS News. The force stated that the letter was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex so they would be aware of its contents. Police did not share the specific allegations with other law enforcement bodies at the time.
This confirmation comes amid a wave of new reports regarding Markle. On Thursday, The Sun reported that Thomas Markle Jr. had reported his father to authorities in the Philippines. The younger son alleged he found child abuse materials in storage boxes at their family home in that country. By Friday, reports indicated that Philippine officials were dealing with Markle over alleged possession of such materials. Markle denied the claims in a report by The Daily Mail on the same day.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, reacted to the developing story in a statement sent to CBS News on Friday. She described herself as deeply distressed by the coverage. Meghan said she had known about the allegations since 2018. According to her account, the claims were shared with U.K. authorities during that earlier year.
In the written statement, Meghan noted that a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2018. She said the letter was later shared with her and contained troubling and disturbing allegations against her father. She claimed she was given assurances that an investigation was underway.
The duchess also addressed her decision to keep her distance from her father. She stated that her primary motivation was to protect her children. Meghan wrote that despite media distortions over the years, her decision to limit contact had one reason: to protect them.
The accounts differ on the timing of the police letter. Meghan referenced 2018, while Scotland Yard confirmed receipt in 2019. A spokesman for the duchess told BBC News that any discrepancy of a few months was an understandable consequence of the passage of time.
Scotland Yard announced that the Met will review how the matter was handled in 2019. As part of this internal process, the force will decide whether to refer itself to the police watchdog.
