Police confirm receipt of 2019 letter detailing claims about Duchess's father

London's Metropolitan Police has officially confirmed that it received a letter in 2019 containing a series of specific claims about Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. A spokesperson for Scotland Yard revealed this information to CBS News on Saturday, confirming that the document was indeed logged by the force. This verification comes after a week of intense media scrutiny regarding the allegations against Markle.

The police stated that the letter was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to ensure they were aware of its contents. Notably, the specific details of the allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies at the time. The timing of this revelation creates a significant discrepancy with previous statements made by the Duchess, who has indicated that she was informed of similar allegations as early as 2018.

The police confirmation follows several reports published this week. The British tabloid The Sun reported on Thursday that Markle was reported to authorities in the Philippines by his son, Thomas Markle Jr. The younger Markle allegedly discovered child abuse materials stored in boxes at the family home in the Philippines. By Friday, reports indicated that Philippine authorities were dealing with Markle over alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials, though The Daily Mail noted that Markle denied the allegations at the time.

In a statement sent to CBS News on Friday, Meghan described herself as deeply distressed by the recent coverage. She stated that she had been aware of the allegations since 2018 and that these concerns had been shared with U.K. authorities during that period. Her statement detailed that a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and the Royalty and Specialist Protection unit in 2018. She said this letter was subsequently shared with her and contained troubling and disturbing allegations against her father, for which she was given assurances that an investigation was underway.

Meghan also explained that she had maintained distance from her father to protect her children. She expressed hope that the public would now understand that her decision to limit his contact with them had one primary reason: to ensure their safety. She noted that this stance had been subject to distortion by certain media publications over the years, but she stood by the rationale for protecting her family.

The difference in dates between the two accounts is the central point of contention. Meghan refers to 2018, while Scotland Yard confirms receipt in 2019. A spokesman for the duchess addressed this gap in comments to BBC News, noting that any discrepancy of a few months was an understandable consequence of the passage of time. This explanation attempts to reconcile the two timelines without admitting a formal error in either account.

As the matter progresses, Scotland Yard has announced that the Metropolitan Police will review how the situation was handled in 2019. As part of this internal review process, the force will determine whether to refer the case to the police watchdog for further examination.