Royal Security Files: The Met Confirms a 2019 Disclosure

Two years after the Metropolitan Police received a letter containing serious allegations about the father of the Duchess of Sussex, the force has confirmed it passed the document directly to the royal couple's office. This admission clarifies the timeline of information flow regarding Thomas Markle Sr., who faced claims of possessing child sexual abuse images. The confirmation arrives as new reports surface detailing how the allegations came to light in the Philippines.

The Met stated that the letter arrived in January 2019 and outlined claims of offending outside of Britain. After a review, the force decided to share the information with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. Crucially, the department noted that the document was not forwarded to other law enforcement agencies. This specific routing decision is now under internal review, with the force considering whether to refer the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The initial reports emerged on Friday when The Sun newspaper detailed the account of Thomas Markle Jr. The 60-year-old half-brother told detectives in the Philippines that he discovered hundreds or thousands of images on computers and phones stored in four boxes at a home in Cebu. His father lived there until returning to the United States in May following a stroke. Markle Jr. also informed the FBI in the US about the discovery.

Markle Sr has publicly denied the claims. He described the accusations as sick lies in a statement to the Daily Mail. In response to the renewed attention, the Duchess of Sussex issued a statement on Friday through a spokesperson. She described herself as deeply distressed and expressed her thoughts for any children who may have been harmed. She confirmed that a letter with troubling allegations had been shared with her and that she was given assurances an investigation was underway.

The duchess explained that her decision to limit her father's contact with her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, was made solely to protect them. The family has been estranged, and the children have never met their grandfather. The couple recently relocated back to the UK from the United States. Sources indicate that Meghan could not speak about the letter publicly in 2019 to avoid jeopardizing potential future investigations or facing legal action.

A minor discrepancy emerged regarding the date of the letter. Meghan initially stated it was sent in 2018 but later corrected this to 2019. A spokesperson noted that misremembering by a few months is understandable when recalling events from more than seven years ago without a diary entry. The Met holds a time-stamped record showing the review occurred in 2019, which should serve as the accurate reference point for the timeline.

The Met spokesperson said the force has conducted a thorough review of its systems and records. The letter was directed to the Protection Command to raise concerns about the Duchess's security. The department is currently evaluating how the matter was handled in 2019. This internal look-back aims to determine if standard protocols were followed when deciding to inform the royal office while keeping other agencies in the dark.