Met Police Confirm 2019 Letter on Meghan Markle's Father

London's Metropolitan Police launched an internal review of a 2019 letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle, the father of the Duchess of Sussex. A Scotland Yard spokesperson confirmed the existence of the document to CBS News on Saturday.

The force stated that the letter was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. The specific details of the claims were not shared with other law enforcement agencies at that time.

This confirmation follows a week of reports regarding Markle. The Sun reported on Thursday that his son, Thomas Markle Jr., had alerted Philippine authorities to the case. The younger Markle alleged he found child abuse materials in storage boxes at the family home. By Friday, reports indicated Philippine authorities were dealing with the elder Markle over alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials. The Daily Mail reported that Markle denied the claims.

Meghan issued a statement to CBS News on Friday. She described herself as deeply distressed by the recent coverage. She said she had known about the allegations since 2018. Her statement claimed a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2018 and later shared with her.

The duchess said she was given assurances that the matter was being investigated. She also stated she had kept her distance from her father to protect her children. She said her decision to limit contact had one reason, which was to protect them from the allegations.

The two accounts differ on the date the letter was sent. Meghan referred to 2018, while Scotland Yard confirmed receipt in 2019. A spokesman for the duchess told BBC News that any discrepancy of a few months was an understandable consequence of the passage of time.

The Met will now audit how the matter was handled in 2019. The review will determine whether the force refers itself to the police watchdog.