Metropolitan Police Confirm 2019 Letter Regarding Thomas Markle

The London Metropolitan Police has officially verified the existence of a letter received in 2019 that contained specific allegations regarding Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. This confirmation comes as a significant development in the ongoing public interest concerning the family's history and the handling of previous reports.

A spokesperson for Scotland Yard informed CBS News on Saturday that the correspondence was logged by the force in 2019. The letter is described by police as containing a number of claims about Markle. This admission provides official documentation for a timeline that had previously been contested in media reports and personal statements.

According to the police account, the letter was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. The details of the allegations contained within the document were not shared with other law enforcement agencies at that time. This procedural step highlights the internal routing of the information within the royal household's support structure.

The confirmation follows a series of reports published earlier this week that renewed attention on the matter. The British tabloid The Sun reported on Thursday that Markle had been reported to authorities in the Philippines by his son, Thomas Markle Jr. The younger man allegedly discovered child abuse materials in storage boxes located at the family home in the Philippines. By Friday, reports indicated that authorities in the Philippines were dealing with Markle over the alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials. The Daily Mail reported on the same day that Markle had denied the allegations.

In a statement sent to CBS News on Friday, Meghan said she was deeply distressed by the recent reports. She stated that she had been aware of the allegations since 2018 and that they had been shared with U.K. authorities at that time. Her statement provided a personal perspective on the timeline and the emotional impact of the renewed scrutiny.

The duchess's statement noted that in 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. It was subsequently shared with her. The document made troubling and disturbing allegations against her father. She was given assurances that these matters were being investigated. This account contrasts slightly with the police confirmation of a 2019 receipt date.

Meghan also addressed the relationship between herself and her father. She said she had kept her distance from him to protect her children. She expressed the hope that it could now be understood that, despite certain media publications' distortion over the years, her decision not to allow him contact with the children had one reason: to protect them. This explanation offers context for the family dynamics that have been a subject of public discussion.

The date of the letter is the primary point on which the two accounts differ. Meghan referred to 2018, while Scotland Yard confirmed receipt in 2019. A spokesman for the duchess addressed this discrepancy in comments to BBC News, a partner of CBS News. The spokesman said any discrepancy of a few months was an understandable consequence of that passage of time. This clarification attempts to bridge the gap between personal recollection and official records.

Scotland Yard stated that the Met will review how the matter was handled in 2019. As part of this internal process, the force will decide whether to refer itself to the police watchdog. This step indicates a formal assessment of the initial response and the subsequent handling of the allegations. The review aims to determine if standard procedures were followed and if any actions require further external scrutiny.