The Metropolitan Police has initiated a voluntary referral to the police watchdog following a review of its handling of a 2019 letter that contained allegations about Thomas Markle, father of the Duchess of Sussex. The referral centres on the force's decision not to share the letter's contents with overseas law enforcement agencies and its choice to pass the correspondence directly to the private office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they were working members of the royal family. According to The Guardian, the move comes as authorities in the Philippines investigate alleged child sexual abuse images reportedly discovered at Markle's former residence in that country.
The letter, allegedly authored by Markle's former wife, was submitted to the Met's Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, a unit that evaluates potential threats to members of the royal family and other public figures. The author indicated she was raising concerns regarding the Duchess's security. However, the letter contained allegations relating to Markle's alleged activities in the United States, Philippines and Thailand rather than direct security threats. Markle, who currently resides in the US, has acknowledged paying for sex but denies possessing illegal material.
The Metropolitan Police was unable to locate its own copy of the 2019 letter within its systems during its recent review. The force subsequently requested that Meghan provide her retained copy, which she supplied to police to assist in understanding the original decision-making process from seven years earlier.
Met Commander Adam Slonecki, who oversees the Protection Command, provided a statement explaining the force's initial assessment:
The author of the letter suggested they were writing to raise concerns relating to the security of the Duchess of Sussex. While the letter did not actually contain any information specifically related to security matters, it did contain a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom. The letter was assessed and subsequently passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.
Slonecki further stated:
A voluntary referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in respect of the decision not to inform other law enforcement agencies, and the decision to pass the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
What prompted the police watchdog referral?
The Metropolitan Police's primary concern centres on its failure to communicate the letter's allegations to international law enforcement partners. The force has now begun the process of forwarding details of the correspondence to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States, Philippine law enforcement authorities, and Thai counterparts. According to reporting from The Independent, the Met stated that this referral process is expected to be completed in the coming days.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct acknowledged receipt of the referral. An IOPC spokesperson explained:
We have received a voluntary conduct referral from the Met police, which relates to the handling of a letter it received in 2019 involving allegations of offending. We are now assessing the referral before deciding what further action may be required.
The watchdog's assessment will determine whether it independently investigates the matter or returns it to the Metropolitan Police for internal investigation.
What is the background to this investigation?
The allegations against Thomas Markle emerged publicly approximately one week before the Met's referral announcement. The Duchess of Sussex previously disclosed that police informed her of serious allegations against her father in 2018, with the Metropolitan Police later confirming it had received the 2019 letter containing related claims.
Markle's half-brother, also named Thomas, reported to Philippine authorities the alleged discovery of child sexual abuse images at the family property in the south-east Asian nation. Philippine Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla indicated that preliminary findings suggest Markle may be a possible sex offender, though Markle denies all allegations. A Philippine court has authorised police to examine material from Markle's former home, allegedly containing child abuse images.
What are the implications for the Metropolitan Police?
The extent of reputational damage to the Metropolitan Police will largely depend on the findings of Philippine investigators regarding the credibility of the child sexual abuse allegations. The force's decision to restrict the 2019 letter to the Sussexes' private office, rather than initiating international information-sharing protocols, has raised questions about whether standard procedures for handling allegations of serious overseas offences were properly followed.
The Met's admission that it did not investigate the letter's claims—citing the overseas nature of the alleged offences—contrasts with its subsequent decision to now forward the information to international partners. This apparent shift in approach has prompted scrutiny of the original decision-making process and whether different protocols should have been applied when allegations involved a member of the royal family.
Key Facts
- The 2019 letter was submitted to the Met's Fixated Threat Assessment Centre and subsequently passed to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's private office without being shared with overseas law enforcement agencies.
- The Metropolitan Police was unable to locate its original copy of the letter and requested the Duchess provide her retained version to assist in the review.
- Philippine authorities are investigating alleged child sexual abuse images reportedly found at Markle's former residence, with a court warrant authorising examination of the material.
- The Independent Office for Police Conduct is now assessing whether to independently investigate the Met's handling of the letter or return the matter for internal police investigation.
- The force has committed to forwarding details of the 2019 letter to the FBI, Philippine law enforcement, and Thai authorities in the coming days.
