Met ‘misplaced letter sent to Meghan Markle over father’s sex abuse allegations and asked her for copy’

The Metropolitan Police was forced to ask the duchess of Sussex for a copy of the letter it had sent her notifying her of serious allegations against her father after the force misplaced its own copy, it has been reported.

Police received the tip about Thomas Markle’s alleged offending outside the UK in January 2019 and passed the letter on to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

But after recent allegations came to light over claims child sex abuse material was found at Mr Markle’s house in the Philippines, The Times reports the force had not only failed to act on the tip-off, but had also been unable to locate the original letter.

The duchess had kept her copy and was able to share it with police, it was reported.

It comes after the force admitted it did not pass the letter to other law enforcement agencies, adding it was now “reviewing its handling” of the matter.

In a statement, Scotland Yard said: “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. It was sent to the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) Protection Command to raise concerns in relation 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. The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.

“The MPS is reviewing the handling of this matter in 2019 and considering whether a referral to the IOPC [police watchdog] is necessary to review our approach.”

Meghan is “upset and really frustrated” by the Met’s handling of the investigation, The Telegraph reported.

Authorities in the Philippines are currently investigating allegations that Meghan’s estranged father kept a hoard of child sex abuse images at his former home there – claims he denies and has called a “bunch of lies”.

His son and Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Markle Jr alerted the police over the images, which he said he found while in the house earlier this year.

He is said to have reported his discovery to the FBI Hotline and to the state police in Pennsylvania, as well as the US-based National Centre for Exploited and Missing Children in July.

Nicholas Ty, undersecretary for the Philippines Department of Justice, confirmed on Saturday that an investigation was underway in the country.

Mr Markle Sr was forced to return to the US after suffering a stroke and a blood clot, which led to the amputation of his left leg and he is reportedly now living in a rehab centre in Florida, where he is learning to walk again.

Meghan “reached out” to him in the aftermath of the operation, a spokesperson for the duchess said, and she was also said to have tried to do so previously.

But she has largely been estranged from him after he was caught staging paparazzi photographs in the run-up to her wedding to Prince Harry.

Mr Markle Sr has denied the accusations, saying in a statement: “I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.

“This is bulls***. It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”