Thomas Markle Sr., the father of Meghan
Thomas Markle Sr., the father of Meghan

LONDON — London's Metropolitan Police confirmed Saturday that it received a letter in 2019 containing allegations against Thomas Markle Sr., the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The force acknowledged it did not investigate the claims or share them with other law enforcement agencies.

The admission came a day after Meghan said she was "deeply distressed" by reports that her father is under investigation in the Philippines over allegations that he possessed child sexual abuse material. Markle Sr., 82, denies the allegations and has not been charged.

Met confirms letter, opens review

"Following a thorough review of Met Police systems and records, we have confirmed that in January 2019, we received a letter containing a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

The force said the letter was sent to its Protection Command "to raise concerns in relation to the security of the Duchess of Sussex." It said the letter was reviewed and passed to the Sussexes' office "for their awareness."

"The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies," the statement said.

The Met said it is now "reviewing the handling of this matter," including whether to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the watchdog that oversees police in England and Wales.

The Daily Beast reported that the letter was written by Roslyn Loveless, Markle Sr.'s late first wife. She was married to him from 1964 to 1975 and is the mother of his children Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle Jr.

Meghan's statement

In her statement Friday, Meghan said a letter sent to police had "made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated."

She dated the letter to 2018. Her spokesperson said that without a diary entry or contemporaneous record, "it is understandable that she may have been mistaken by a few months."

Meghan said her decision to keep her father away from her children was meant to protect them. "I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families," she said.

A friend of Meghan told Britain's The Telegraph that she is "upset and really frustrated that, having effectively been told to stay quiet and having been given assurances it would be investigated, it appears nothing was done." The friend said she was "obviously pleased" the force is considering referring itself to the watchdog.

Another friend told The Sun: "After so many years of living with deeply troubling concerns, there is also a real sense of relief that these matters are now being properly investigated." The friend said Meghan "has been guided by legal advice about what she could say publicly."

Former royal protection chief 'astounded'

Dai Davies, the former head of Scotland Yard's royal protection command, criticized the Met's handling of the letter.

He told The Telegraph he was "frankly astounded that, the Police, having received this material, did not contact other relevant forces." He said the allegations "would have made them duty-bound to liaise with Harry's protection team, the FBI and other police forces, where the alleged offences were said to have taken place."

"I'm gobsmacked that they didn't," Davies said.

He also questioned why the Sussexes did not pursue the matter themselves. "This would have been the obvious thing to do, especially as they shortly after went on to have children of their own," he said.

Markle Sr. denies claims

Markle Sr. denied the allegations in an interview with The Mail on Sunday from a nursing facility in Florida, where he is recovering after a stroke and the amputation of his left leg.

"I have never had sex with anyone under the age of 18," he told the newspaper. He acknowledged that, while single, he traveled to the Philippines at least twice and paid for sex with adult women.

He said any images found on his devices were "planted." He suggested his son may be responsible and said he is willing to speak to investigators and take a lie detector test.

He also said he was never told about the letter. "If Meghan or anyone else had come to me in 2018 and told me about the letter, I would have had a chance to defend myself," he said.

Earlier, he told the Daily Mail the accusations were "sick lies."

Investigation in the Philippines

The allegations became public last week after The Sun reported that Thomas Markle Jr. had reported his father to police in the Philippines. Markle Jr. said he found a large quantity of child sexual abuse material in boxes at his father's former home in Cebu province.

The Philippine Department of Justice said its anti-trafficking task force is investigating. The FBI has said it is aware of the allegations and will support Philippine authorities as appropriate.

The Sun has since published further reporting on material it says was handed to Philippine police. Those claims have not been independently verified, and authorities have not commented publicly on the evidence.

Markle Jr. has his own troubled history, including past arrests, and has repeatedly criticized Meghan in interviews over the years.

New details on family rift

The Telegraph also reported Sunday that a letter Meghan sent her father after his leg amputation last December told him he would never be allowed to meet her children. According to the newspaper, it also expressed concern about his safety around children and urged him to seek professional help.

Meghan, 45, has been estranged from her father since before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, which he did not attend after it emerged he had staged paparazzi photographs for payment.

For years, Markle Sr. gave interviews criticizing his daughter and publicly pleaded to meet his grandchildren, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. In public, the couple largely attributed the breakdown in the relationship to media pressure and the staged photos.

In their 2022 Netflix series "Harry & Meghan," Harry said of the estrangement: "She had a father before this and now she doesn't have a father."

What happens next

It is unclear whether the Met's review will lead to a referral to the police watchdog, or how long the Philippine investigation will take. No charges have been announced in any country.

The allegations against Markle Sr. remain unproven.