Police confirm letter about Meghan Markle’s father was not shared with other law enforcement agencies

A spokesperson said it was decided to share the letter to the office of Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that it received a letter containing allegations against Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, in January 2019, but did not share the details with other law enforcement agencies.

In a statement issued on Saturday, October 24, the London police force said the letter contained claims of alleged offending outside the United Kingdom. It was referred to the force’s Protection Command because of concerns relating to the security of the Duchess of Sussex.

“The letter was reviewed and a decision was made that it should be passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said. “The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.”

The force added that it was reviewing how the matter had been handled and considering whether to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog.

The confirmation comes after Meghan said she had been made aware of troubling allegations concerning her father in 2018, following her wedding to Prince Harry. In a statement to PEOPLE on October 23, the Duchess said a letter had been sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection, and that she had been assured the allegations were being investigated.

However, the police force’s records place its receipt of the letter in January 2019, several months after the date Meghan recalled.

A representative for Meghan addressed the discrepancy on October 24, saying that, without a diary entry or a contemporaneous record, it was understandable that she might have misremembered the timing by a few months. The representative added that if the police held a time-stamped record confirming the letter was reviewed in 2019, that should be treated as the accurate reference point.

The developments follow reports that Thomas Markle Sr, 82, was facing allegations concerning the possession of child sexual abuse material. His son, Thomas Markle Jr., reportedly alerted authorities after allegedly discovering images among belongings at his father’s former home in Cebu, the Philippines.

Thomas Sr has denied the allegations, describing them as lies. The claims have not been established as fact, and the Metropolitan Police clarified that it is not investigating him.

Meghan said she was deeply distressed by the reports and expressed concern for any children who may have been harmed. She also explained that her decision to keep her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, away from their grandfather was made to protect them.

“I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them,” she said.

The Duchess has been estranged from her father since the period surrounding her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. Thomas Sr did not attend the ceremony and has never met Archie or Lilibet.

The Metropolitan Police’s review will examine how the letter was handled in 2019 and whether further scrutiny by the IOPC is necessary. The force has not announced a final decision on whether to refer the matter to the watchdog.