Met Police Confirm 2019 Markle Allegation Letter Sent Solely to Sussex Office

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that a 2019 letter containing allegations of "alleged offending" by Thomas Markle Sr. was sent exclusively to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The force stated that the document was not shared with any other law enforcement agencies at the time.

Scotland Yard said it received the letter in January 2019. The document outlined claims of offending that took place outside of Britain. A spokesperson for the Met explained that the letter was routed to the Protection Command to raise concerns regarding the security of the Duchess. After review, officials decided to pass the information to the Sussex office for their awareness.

The confirmation follows a report by The Sun detailing new claims from Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr. The 60-year-old told detectives in the Philippines that he discovered a collection of child sexual abuse images belonging to their father at his former home in Cebu. Markle Jr. stated he found "hundreds, if not thousands" of such images on computers and mobile phones stored in four large boxes. He added that he had contacted the FBI in the United States. Markle Sr. lived in the Philippines until returning to the US in May following a stroke.

Thomas Markle Sr. has denied the allegations. He told the Daily Mail that the accusations were "sick lies." The Met Police are currently reviewing how the matter was handled in 2019. The force is considering whether to refer the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

On Friday, Meghan spoke through a spokesperson, saying she was "deeply distressed" by the news. She stated that a letter with "troubling and disturbing allegations" had been shared with her and that she was assured an investigation was underway. She explained that her decision to limit her father’s contact with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, was made solely to protect them. The couple recently moved back to the UK from the US.

Meghan initially said the letter was sent in 2018 but later corrected the date to 2019. A spokesperson noted that she had misremembered the year and confirmed the 2019 date provided by the Met Police. The spokesperson added that a time-stamped record from the Met should be treated as the accurate reference point for the timeline.