London Police Confirm 2019 Letter Alleged Issues With Meghan's Father

Ordinary citizens following the Sussex saga have received a new update on the long-standing legal questions surrounding Thomas Markle. The London Metropolitan Police have officially confirmed that they received a letter in 2019. This document contained a series of claims regarding the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. This confirmation provides a concrete timeline for when authorities first became aware of these specific allegations, clarifying the sequence of events for the public.

Police spokespersons told CBS News on Saturday that the letter was indeed part of their records. Once the document was received, it was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex so they could be aware of its contents. Notably, the specific details within the letter were not shared with other law enforcement bodies at that time. The Met has stated that it will now review how the matter was handled during that period.

This official confirmation follows a busy week of media reports regarding Markle’s legal status. On Thursday, the British tabloid The Sun reported that Markle had been reported to authorities in the Philippines by his son, Thomas Markle Jr. The younger man allegedly discovered storage boxes at the family home in the Philippines that contained child abuse materials. By Friday, reports indicated that Philippine authorities were dealing with Markle over the alleged possession of these materials.

The Daily Mail reported on Friday that Markle had denied the allegations against him. The situation has drawn attention to how these claims were initially processed in the United Kingdom. The timing of the initial report has become a focal point for observers, as there is a slight difference in the dates provided by the police and the duchess.

In a statement sent to CBS News on Friday, Meghan described herself as deeply distressed by the recent reports. She stated that she had known of the allegations since 2018. According to her account, these claims had been shared with U.K. authorities at that time. She provided specific details about the documentation sent to the police.

Her statement noted that a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and the Royalty and Specialist Protection unit in 2018. She said the letter was subsequently shared with her and that it made troubling and disturbing allegations against her father. She was given assurances at the time that these matters were being investigated. This account contrasts slightly with the police confirmation of a 2019 receipt date.

Meghan also addressed the impact of these events on her family. She said she had kept her distance from her father to protect her children. She expressed hope that it is now understood 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.

A spokesman for the duchess addressed the date discrepancy in comments to BBC News, a partner of CBS News. He described any discrepancy of a few months as an understandable consequence of the passage of time. This explanation aims to bridge the gap between the 2018 date cited by the duchess and the 2019 date confirmed by the police.

The Metropolitan Police said it will conduct a review of how the matter was handled in 2019. As part of this process, the police will decide whether to refer itself to the police watchdog. This step indicates that the force is examining its own procedures to ensure the case was managed according to standard protocols.

For readers, this development adds a verified layer to the narrative surrounding the Sussex family's legal challenges. It confirms that the claims were not new to the police in 2026, but rather had been on record since 2019. The upcoming review will likely determine if any procedural changes need to be noted in the official record of the case.