Scotland Yard Sent Meghan Markle Father's Abuse Letter

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they delivered a 2019 letter containing allegations of alleged offending involving Thomas Markle Sr to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. This confirmation comes after reports emerged this week that the father of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle possessed child sexual abuse images. The force stated that the document was passed along for the couple's awareness but was not shared with other law enforcement agencies.

Scotland Yard said it received the letter in January 2019. The document made several claims about offending that took place outside of Britain. A spokesperson for the Met explained that the letter was sent to the Protection Command to raise concerns regarding the security of the Duchess. After a review, the decision was made to forward the information to the Sussexes' office. The police force is now reviewing how the matter was handled and is considering whether to refer the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The story gained traction following a report that Thomas Markle Jr, the 60 year old half brother of the Duchess, found a stash of images at his former home in the Philippines. He told detectives in Cebu that he discovered hundreds, if not thousands, of such images on computers and mobile phones. These items were kept in four large boxes at the residence where his father lived until returning to the United States in May after suffering a stroke. Markle Jr also stated that he contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the findings.

Thomas Markle Sr has denied the claims. He told the Daily Mail that the accusations were sick lies. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle issued a statement on Friday saying she was deeply distressed by the news. She expressed her thoughts with any children who may have been harmed. The Duchess noted that she had been given assurances that the troubling and disturbing allegations were being investigated. She stated that her decision to limit contact between her father and her children was made solely to protect them.

The Duchess is currently estranged from her father, who has never met their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently moved back to the United Kingdom from the United States. In her initial statement, Meghan said the letter was sent in 2018. She later corrected this, confirming the year was 2019. Her spokesperson noted that it was understandable she might be mistaken by a few months when recalling events from more than seven years ago without a diary entry or contemporaneous record. The spokesperson added that if the Met holds a time-stamped record showing the review happened in 2019, that should be treated as the accurate reference point.

Sources indicate that although Meghan learned of the allegations in 2019, she could not speak publicly about them at the time. The silence was intended to avoid jeopardizing any future investigation. Additionally, speaking out earlier could have led to legal action against her. The Metropolitan Police have now clarified that they did not pass the letter to other forces, a detail that may be scrutinized during their ongoing review of the 2019 handling of the case.