Met Police Routed 2019 Abuse Allegations Directly to Sussex Office

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that a 2019 letter detailing allegations of 'alleged offending' involving Meghan Markle's father was sent exclusively to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The disclosure resolved a dispute over whether other law enforcement agencies received the document. Scotland Yard stated the letter contained claims about offending outside Britain and was passed to the royal couple for their awareness, but not to other forces.

The issue surfaced after The Sun reported that Thomas Markle Jr, the 60-year-old half-brother of the Duchess, discovered images at his former home in Cebu, Philippines. Markle Jr told detectives in the country that he found hundreds, if not thousands, of images on computers and phones stored in four large boxes. The Sun noted that Markle Sr lived in that house until a stroke prompted his return to the US in May. The report also stated that Markle Jr contacted the FBI in the United States regarding the findings.

Thomas Markle Sr has denied the claims. He described the accusations as 'sick lies' in an interview with the Daily Mail. The Metropolitan Police said it received the original letter in January 2019. A spokesperson explained that the document was sent to the Protection Command of the Metropolitan Police Service to raise security concerns for the Duchess. The force conducted a thorough review of its systems and records before making the decision to share the information with the Sussexes' office.

Meghan Markle said through a spokesperson on Friday that she was 'deeply distressed' by the news. She stated her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed and that the letter contained 'troubling and disturbing allegations.' She said she had been given assurances that the matters were being investigated. The Duchess noted that her decision to keep her father from having contact with Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, was made solely to protect them. The couple recently moved back to the UK from the US.

A discrepancy emerged regarding the timing of the letter. Meghan's initial statement on Friday cited 2018, but she later confirmed the correct year 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 contemporaneous record. The spokesperson added that if the Met holds a time-stamped record showing a 2019 review, that should be treated as the accurate reference point.

The Metropolitan Police is currently reviewing how the matter was handled in 2019. The force is considering whether to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Sources said Meghan could not speak publicly about the allegations in 2019 to avoid jeopardizing a potential future investigation. They added that speaking out could have led to legal action against her.