Police to Audit Handling of 2019 Letter on Meghan Markle's Father
London's Metropolitan Police confirmed receiving a 2019 document with allegations against Thomas Markle, a step back from his daughter's claim that authorities were notified in 2018.
By Isabella Morales ·
The Metropolitan Police in London will conduct an internal review of how it handled a 2019 letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. A spokesperson for Scotland Yard confirmed the receipt of the document to CBS News on Saturday. The force stated that the letter contained a "number of claims" regarding Markle's conduct.
Police records indicate the letter was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. The specific details within the document were not distributed to other law enforcement agencies at the time. The review process will determine if the force refers itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the civilian body that oversees police behavior in England and Wales.
The confirmation of the 2019 date conflicts with Meghan Markle's previous public timeline. In a statement sent to CBS News on Friday, she said she was "deeply distressed" by recent media coverage. She claimed that a letter detailing "troubling and disturbing allegations" was sent to the Metropolitan Police and the Royalty and Specialist Protection unit in 2018. She stated she received assurances that these claims were under investigation at that earlier date.
The discrepancy between the 2018 and 2019 dates has been attributed to the passage of time. A spokesman for the duchess told BBC News that a difference of "a few months" was an understandable consequence of the years involved. He noted that Meghan had maintained distance from her father to shield her children from the situation.
The police review follows reports this week that Markle was reported to authorities in the Philippines by his son, Thomas Markle Jr. The Daily Mail reported on Friday that Markle denied the allegations, which involve the possession of child sexual abuse materials allegedly found in storage boxes at a family home. The Sun reported on Thursday that the younger Markle made the initial report to Philippine officials.
Meghan Markle said in her Friday statement that her decision to limit her father's contact with her children had "one reason: to protect them." She expressed hope that this motive would now be clearer despite what she described as media distortion over the years. The Metropolitan Police have not yet provided a timeline for the completion of its internal review.
Source: CBS News
