Met Police refers itself to watchdog over handling of Thomas Markle allegations

The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the police watchdog over its handling of allegations made against the Duchess of Sussex’s father Thomas Markle.

The force said that in 2019 it had passed a letter “containing a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom” to Meghan and the Duke of Sussex, but did not share details with other law enforcement agencies.

On Thursday, police in the Philippines obtained a warrant to examine devices seized from Mr Markle Sr’s home, after it was reported that hundreds of images of child sexual abuse had been found at the property.

Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, said he had found the stash and had reported his father to local police and the FBI.

Mr Markle Sr, who is now in the US, has strongly denied the allegations made by his son, describing them as "sick lies".

The BBC and other media including the Telegraph, which said it had seen a copy of the letter sent to Scotland Yard in 2019, reported the note was written by Mr Markle Sr’s first ex-wife, Roslyn Loveless, who has since died.

Commander Adam Slonecki, who leads the Metropolitan Police’s Protection Command, said: “In January 2019, the Met received a letter addressed to our Protection Command, specifically the Fixated Threats Assessment Centre.

“The author of the letter suggested they were writing to raise concerns relating to the security of the Duchess of Sussex. While the letter did not actually contain any information specifically related to security matters, it did contain a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom.

“The letter was assessed and subsequently 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.

“In recent days, the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has carried out an initial review into our actions following receipt of the letter in 2019.

“Following that review, a voluntary referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in respect of the decision not to inform other law enforcement agencies, and the decision to pass the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”

They added it was the force’s intention to make a number of referrals to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies in relation to the allegations made about Mr Markle Sr in the letter.

It had also emerged that the Met had misplaced the original letter, The Times reported, with Meghan having kept a copy that she was able to provide to police when asked.

She is said to be “upset and really frustrated” by the Met’s handling of the investigation, and had been assured at the time of the “troubling” allegations that these were being investigated.

The duchess has been estranged from her father since 2018, but sent him a final letter last year while he was recovered from a leg amputation in the Philippines.

She wrote to say she knows he is an abuser and that he will never see his grandchildren Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, the Sun on Sunday reported.