London Police Confirm 2019 Report on Meghan Markle's Father

London's Metropolitan Police has officially verified that it received a written report in 2019 containing specific allegations regarding Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. A spokesperson for the force provided this confirmation to CBS News on Saturday, bringing a new layer of detail to a story that has dominated headlines throughout the week.

The police department stated that the letter was forwarded directly to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex so they were aware of its contents. Notably, the specific details found within the document were not distributed to other law enforcement bodies at the time of receipt.

This official confirmation follows a rapid sequence of media reports released earlier in the week. On Thursday, the British tabloid The Sun reported that Thomas Markle Jr., the son of the elder Markle, had reported his father to authorities in the Philippines. The younger Markle allegedly discovered child abuse materials stored in boxes at the family residence in that country. By Friday, reports indicated that Philippine authorities were actively handling the matter related to the alleged possession of such materials. The Daily Mail also reported on Friday that Thomas Markle had denied the specific allegations.

In a statement sent to CBS News on Friday, Meghan described her emotional reaction to the news. She said she was deeply distressed by the coverage. She noted that she had been aware of the allegations since 2018 and that the information had been shared with United Kingdom authorities during that year. Her statement clarified that a letter had been sent to both the Metropolitan Police and the Royalty and Specialist Protection unit in 2018. The document was subsequently shared with her and contained troubling and disturbing allegations against her father. She added that she received assurances that the matter was under investigation at the time.

Meghan also explained her decision to maintain distance from her father, stating that she did so to protect her children. She expressed hope that the public could now understand that, despite what she described as media distortion over the years, her choice to limit contact had one primary reason. That reason was to ensure the safety and well-being of her children.

A notable difference exists between the two accounts regarding the timeline. Meghan referred to the letter being sent in 2018, while Scotland Yard confirmed receiving it in 2019. A spokesman for the duchess addressed this timing issue in comments to BBC News, which is a partner of CBS News. He described any discrepancy of a few months as an understandable consequence of the passage of time.

The Metropolitan Police have announced that they will review how the matter 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 scrutiny.