Scotland Yard Confirms 2019 Letter Triggered Review of Meghan Markle's Father Case

London's Metropolitan Police has officially confirmed that it received a letter in 2019 containing specific claims about Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. This confirmation marks the latest development in a rapidly unfolding story that has captured global attention. A spokesperson for Scotland Yard provided the details to CBS News on Saturday, solidifying the timeline of events that led to the current scrutiny.

The police stated that the letter was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex so they would be aware of its contents. Notably, the specific allegations detailed in the document were not shared with other law enforcement agencies at the time. This limited circulation has raised questions about the initial response and the internal protocols used by the Met.

This police confirmation follows a week of intense media coverage. On Thursday, the British tabloid The Sun reported that Thomas Markle had been reported to authorities in the Philippines by his son, Thomas Markle Jr. The younger man claimed to have found materials related to child abuse in storage boxes at the family home in the Philippines.

The situation escalated on Friday when reports indicated that Philippine authorities were addressing Markle over the alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials. In response, The Daily Mail reported on Friday that Markle had denied the allegations. The sequence of events moved quickly, shifting from a family dispute to a matter of international law enforcement interest within days.

Meghan Markle reacted to the reports with a statement sent to CBS News on Friday. She described herself as being deeply distressed by the news. She clarified that she had been aware of the allegations since 2018. According to her account, the claims were shared with U.K. authorities at that time, suggesting a longer timeline for police involvement than the 2019 date confirmed by the Met.

In her statement, Meghan detailed the initial contact with law enforcement. She noted that a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2018. She stated that the letter was subsequently shared with her and contained troubling and disturbing allegations against her father. She added that she was given assurances that these matters were being investigated.

The duchess also addressed her personal relationship with her father in the context of these reports. She explained that she had kept her distance from him to protect her children. She expressed hope that the public could now understand her decision not to allow him contact with the children. She emphasized that this decision had one reason: to protect them, despite what she described as certain media publications' distortion over the years.

A key point of contention remains the date of the letter. Meghan referred to 2018 in her statement, while Scotland Yard confirmed receiving the letter in 2019. A spokesman for the duchess addressed this discrepancy in comments to BBC News. He described any difference of a few months as an understandable consequence of the passage of time. This minor timeline gap does not appear to derail the broader narrative but highlights the complexity of the record.

Looking ahead, the Metropolitan Police has announced that it will review how the matter was handled in 2019. This internal review is a significant step that could lead to further transparency. As part of this process, the Met will decide whether to refer itself to the police watchdog. This potential referral could trigger a formal investigation into the procedures used when the original letter was received and processed.