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London\u2019s Metropolitan Police received a letter containing allegations about Meghan Markle\u2019s father in January 2019. The force passed it to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but did not share the claims with other law enforcement agencies.<\/p>\n
The force confirmed the sequence in an October 24 statement shared with PEOPLE<\/a>, following a review of its systems and records. Meghan had publicly discussed the correspondence a day earlier.<\/p>\n Police said the letter concerned alleged offending outside the United Kingdom. It reached the force\u2019s Protection Command because it raised concerns about the duchess\u2019s security.<\/p>\n The disclosure comes amid a Philippine investigation into allegations that Thomas Markle Sr., 82, possessed child sexual abuse material. He denies those accusations, calling them \u201csick lies\u201d in comments reported by the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n According to ITV News<\/a> royal editor Chris Ship, who has seen the document, the letter was handwritten and ran across several pages. Its author was someone close to the Markle family with connections to multiple relatives.<\/p>\n It was addressed to the Met\u2019s Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, a specialist unit that assesses individuals who may pose a risk to royals, senior politicians and other prominent figures.<\/p>\n ITV reported that the correspondence was passed to Meghan\u2019s police protection team to hand to her. The broadcaster has chosen not to publish the writer\u2019s identity, the other names in the letter or its specific accusations. No U.K. criminal investigation was launched in response to the letter, according to ITV.<\/p>\n In her October 23 statement, Meghan recalled learning about the letter in 2018, following her May wedding to Prince Harry. She described its contents as \u201ctroubling and disturbing allegations\u201d and said she had been assured the claims were being investigated.<\/p>\n Responding to the Met\u2019s records, her representative said she was reconstructing events from more than seven years earlier without a diary entry or contemporaneous record.<\/p>\n The spokesperson told PEOPLE that if the Met held a time-stamped record confirming that the letter was reviewed in 2019, it should be treated as the accurate reference point for when the document was received and shared with her.<\/p>\n A source familiar with the situation told the magazine that Meghan had been advised against speaking publicly because it could jeopardize a potential investigation.<\/p>\n Meghan also said her decision to prevent her father from having contact with her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, was made \u201cto protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n BREAKING: Met Police told of allegations about Meghan\u2019s father, but did not share with other forces<\/p>\nA Handwritten Letter Reached Meghan\u2019s Protection Team<\/h2>\n
Meghan\u2019s Representative Addresses the Date Discrepancy<\/h2>\n
The Met Considers a Referral to the Police Watchdog<\/h2>\n
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