Met Police Confirm Markle Complaint to Royal Couple
London authorities verify receipt of a 2019 complaint about Thomas Markle, setting aside a date dispute with the Duchess of Sussex.
By Carolina Wood ·
The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Saturday that it received a formal letter in 2019 containing specific allegations against Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. A Scotland Yard spokesperson disclosed the receipt of the document to CBS News. The force stated that it forwarded the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. Police noted that the details of the claims were not distributed to other law enforcement agencies.
This confirmation arrives after a week of intense media coverage regarding Markle’s conduct. The British tabloid The Sun reported on Thursday that Thomas Markle Jr., Markle’s son, reported his father to authorities in the Philippines. The younger man claimed to have found child abuse materials in storage boxes at the family home. By Friday, reports indicated that Philippine authorities were handling the matter regarding alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials. The Daily Mail reported that Markle denied the allegations on the same day.
Meghan issued a statement to CBS News on Friday describing herself as deeply distressed by the reports. She stated that she had known of the allegations since 2018 and that they were shared with U.K. authorities at that time. Her statement detailed that a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and the Royalty and Specialist Protection unit in 2018. She said the letter was subsequently shared with her and that she was given assurances the matter was under investigation.
The duchess explained that she had kept her distance from her father to protect her children. She emphasized that her decision to limit his contact with the children had one reason: to protect them. She attributed differing media narratives over the years to distortion of that primary intent.
A discrepancy exists between the two accounts regarding the timing of the complaint. Meghan referred to the letter being sent in 2018, while Scotland Yard confirmed receiving it in 2019. A spokesman for the duchess addressed the difference in comments to BBC News. He described any discrepancy of a few months as an understandable consequence of the passage of time.
The Metropolitan Police announced it will review how the matter was handled in 2019. As part of that process, the force will decide whether to refer itself to the police watchdog.
