Metropolitan Police to Review 2019 Handling of Complaint About Thomas Markle

The Metropolitan Police in London has confirmed it received a letter in 2019 containing a series of claims regarding Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. A spokesperson for Scotland Yard disclosed the existence of the correspondence to CBS News on Saturday. The force stated that the document was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. Police noted that the specific details of the allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies at that time.

This confirmation follows reports published earlier this week by The Sun and other British tabloids. The Sun reported on Thursday that Markle's son, Thomas Markle Jr., had reported his father to authorities in the Philippines. The younger Markle allegedly discovered child abuse materials in storage boxes at the family home. By Friday, reports indicated that Philippine authorities were addressing Markle over the alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials. The Daily Mail reported on Friday that Markle had denied the accusations.

Meghan addressed the renewed public interest in a statement sent to CBS News on Friday. She described herself as deeply distressed by the reports. The Duchess stated that she had known of the allegations since 2018. She said the claims had been shared with U.K. authorities at that time. In the statement, she wrote that a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2018. She added that the letter was subsequently shared with her and contained troubling and disturbing allegations against her father. She stated that she was given assurances the matter was under investigation.

The Duchess explained that she had kept her distance from her father to protect her children. She said she hoped it could now be understood that her decision to limit his contact with the children had one reason: to protect them. She referred to certain media publications' distortion over the years in that context.

The two accounts differ on the date the letter was received, with Meghan citing 2018 and Scotland Yard citing 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. The Metropolitan Police said it will review how the matter was handled in 2019. As part of that process, the force will decide whether to refer the case to the police watchdog.

The review follows the recent surge in media attention regarding Markle. The initial reports in the Philippines prompted the police confirmation in the United Kingdom. The Metropolitan Police has not announced a timeline for the completion of its internal review.