Met Police refers itself to watchdog over Meghan Markle father letter

The Metropolitan Police has voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over its handling of a letter containing serious allegations against Thomas Markle, father of the Duchess of Sussex. According to Sky News ^[1], the referral centres on the force's decision in 2019 to pass the letter directly to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's office rather than sharing it with other law enforcement agencies.

The Daily Mail reported ^[2] that the letter, written by Markle's late first wife Roslyn Loveless, contained "a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom". The Met stated that while the letter did not contain specific security information, it raised concerns that should have triggered wider police involvement. Commander Adam Slonecki of the Met's Protection Command confirmed that the details of the allegations were not shared with other agencies at the time.

The BBC News reported ^[3] that the letter was sent to the Met's royal protection team in January 2019. It is believed to have contained claims regarding child sexual abuse. The IOPC will now examine why these warnings were not passed to UK or overseas authorities, particularly given the potential seriousness of the allegations. The Guardian noted ^[4] that this development coincides with an ongoing investigation by police in the Philippines.

Last week, Thomas Markle Jr, Meghan Markle's half-brother, said he had found a collection of alleged child sexual abuse images among his father's belongings in the Philippines. According to The Independent ^[5], local police secured a warrant to inspect electronic devices taken from Mr Markle Sr's residence. Thomas Markle Jr stated he had reported the findings to local police and the FBI.

Meghan Markle has strongly denied that her father possessed such images, stating in a previous statement that the letter made "troubling and disturbing allegations" against him. The Met is now intending to make referrals to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies, a process expected to be completed in the coming days, as reported by ABC News (AU) ^[6]. The force acknowledged that it had to obtain a copy of the letter from the Sussexes, as it had not retained one itself.

This incident highlights a potential gap in intelligence sharing between royal protection units and broader law enforcement networks. Jim Gamble, who previously led the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, told the BBC that he would have expected the Metropolitan Police to share such information with international partners like the FBI to corroborate the claims. The IOPC's findings could have significant implications for how similar letters are handled in the future.