Met police say they DID receive letter about Thomas Markle in 2019

Met Police have confirmed that a letter containing claims about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, was received in January 2019. The force said it passed the information only to the royal household and is reviewing how it handled the matter. The disclosure follows a series of accusations that have resurfaced in the press and prompted a Philippine investigation into alleged child‑abuse material held by Markle.

In a statement released Saturday, the Metropolitan Police Service (Met) said it had “confirmed that in January 2019 we received a letter containing a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom.” The letter was sent to the Met’s Protection Command because the allegations were considered to pose a risk to the Duchess’s security. The force clarified that it passed the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness but did not forward the details to other police agencies.

Media additions

Meghan’s spokesperson said the duchess had been “deeply distressed” by the news and that she had first been made aware of the allegations in 2018. In a statement to the press, the duchess said:

“I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed.”

Meghan, via her spokesperson

The statement also noted that the letter was sent in 2018 and was subsequently shared with the duchess, and that the decision to keep her father away from the children was intended to protect them.

Sources in the Philippines have confirmed that the Philippine National Police are investigating Thomas Markle over claims that he kept a hoard of child‑sexual‑abuse images at his home in Cebu. The elder Markle, 82, has denied the allegations, calling them “sick lies” in a statement to Britain’s Daily Mail. The Philippine justice department has said the matter is under investigation but has declined to provide further details.

Met Police are reviewing the incident and are considering whether to refer the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct for an independent review.

Meghan’s claim that the letter was received in 2018, contrasted with the Met’s confirmation of a 2019 receipt, has prompted the Met to acknowledge the possibility of a “mistake by a few months” on the duchess’s part. The duchess’s spokesperson said that “without the benefit of a diary entry or contemporaneous record, it is understandable that she may have been mistaken by a few months.”

Source	Date the letter was reported as received
Yahoo News	January 2019
Daily Mail	January 2019
NBC News	January 2019
Meghan’s statement	2018

Meghan’s decision to keep her father away from her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, has been a subject of public debate. In a statement, the duchess said that the estrangement was intended to protect the children from “any children who may have been harmed.”

In a statement, the FBI said it was “aware of the allegations and will provide support, as appropriate, to the Philippine authorities. We will also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of U.S. Law.”

Meghan, 45, and Harry, 42, moved back to the United Kingdom earlier this summer after several years in the United States. The couple last week made their first joint public appearance since returning to the U.K., visiting charities in central England. King Charles III has made clear that their return does not signal a return to active royal life. Harry, however, has said recently that he wants his disagreements with his family to “work out.”

Meanwhile, Philippine authorities continue to investigate the alleged child‑sexual‑abuse material. The elder Markle remains in a Florida rehabilitation centre recovering from surgery. His son, Thomas Markle Jr., has provided evidence to Philippine police, claiming to have found “hundreds, if not thousands” of disturbing images in boxes at his father’s former home.