Scotland Yard confirms 2019 letter on Thomas Markle's alleged offenses

London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed on Saturday that it received a letter in 2019 containing multiple claims regarding Thomas Markle. The statement clarifies that the document was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex so they could be aware of its contents. Police noted that the specific allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies at that time.

The confirmation arrives after a wave of reporting this week. 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 in storage boxes at the family home. By Friday, reports indicated that Philippine authorities were handling Markle over the alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials.

The Daily Mail reported on Friday that Markle denied the allegations. In a statement sent to CBS News on Friday, Meghan Markle described herself as deeply distressed by the news. She stated that she had known of the allegations since 2018 and that they had been shared with U.K. authorities at that time.

Meghan said that in 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. According to her statement, that letter was subsequently shared with her. She described the document as making troubling and disturbing allegations against her father. She added that she was given assurances that these matters were being investigated.

The Duchess said she has kept her distance from her father to protect her children. She stated that her decision not to allow him contact with them had one reason: to protect them. She added that this choice should be understood despite certain media publications' distortion over the years.

A discrepancy exists between the two accounts regarding the date of the letter. Meghan referred to 2018, while Scotland Yard identified the year as 2019. A spokesman for the Duchess told BBC News that any discrepancy of a few months was an understandable consequence of that passage of time.

The Metropolitan Police announced it will review how the matter was handled in 2019. As part of that process, the force will decide whether to refer itself to the police watchdog.