Watchdog probes Met over handling of Meghan Markle’s father letter
- The IOPC is investigating the Metropolitan Police's handling of a 2019 letter.
- The force failed to report child sex abuse allegations against Thomas Markle Snr to overseas authorities.
- The Met admitted it passed the letter directly to the Duchess of Sussex instead of law enforcement.
- Thomas Markle Snr denies the allegations, calling them 'sick lies'.
- Reports suggest the Met had to ask the Duchess for a copy of the letter after losing their own.
On Friday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct initiated an independent inquiry regarding the Metropolitan Police’s omission in reporting 2019 child‑sex‑abuse allegations concerning Thomas Markle Sr. to international authorities. The watchdog’s probe follows a voluntary conduct referral submitted by the Met after internal reviews revealed the force passed a warning letter about the Duchess of Sussex’s father directly to her instead of notifying the appropriate foreign law‑enforcement agencies. BBC reported that a police watchdog is investigating the Metropolitan Police over a letter concerning Meghan Markle's father, which the force had handed to the Duchess of Sussex rather than alerting relevant authorities. According to The Guardian, a police watchdog is set to examine the Metropolitan Police's management of a warning letter regarding Meghan Markle's father, focusing on the Met’s neglect in forwarding the allegations to overseas bodies. The IOPC maintains that an independent investigation is necessary regarding the Metropolitan Police's inability to transmit 2019 child-sex-abuse allegations involving Thomas Markle Snr to the appropriate overseas authorities.
Metropolitan Police admits failure to report 2019 allegations
Scotland Yard received a letter in January 2019 containing claims of alleged offending outside the United Kingdom. The Metropolitan Police Service Protection Command reviewed the document to assess the security of the Duchess of Sussex. The force did not share these details with other law enforcement agencies at that time.
The Metropolitan Police later stated it received assurances that the claims were being investigated. The force admitted it failed to notify law enforcement in the relevant countries where the alleged offenses occurred. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said an independent investigation was required because the Metropolitan Police failed to pass the allegations to relevant overseas authorities. After conducting internal reviews regarding how the letter was managed, the Metropolitan Police made a self-referral to the watchdog.
Reports of misplaced documentation and data breach concerns
Reports suggested that detectives were forced to ask the Duchess of Sussex for a copy of the document after losing their own. Additionally, the watchdog pinpointed a distinct conduct issue concerning an alleged data breach in which information was shared with a third party. The Independent Office for Police Conduct referred this data breach matter back to the Metropolitan Police to be handled through its internal data-breach policies.
Thomas Markle Snr denies child sex abuse allegations
Thomas Markle Snr is accused of possessing child sex abuse images at his residence in the Philippines. His son, Thomas Markle Jnr, made the claims last week.
Thomas Markle Snr, a US resident following a stroke and a blood clot, refutes the allegations, labeling them "sick lies". Philippine police said on Thursday they obtained a warrant to examine his devices.
Duchess of Sussex made aware of troubling claims in 2018
The Duchess of Sussex became estranged from her father, a former TV lighting director, before her 2018 royal wedding. The estrangement occurred after he was caught staging paparazzi photographs.
The Duchess of Sussex stated that the Metropolitan Police informed her of "troubling" allegations against her father via a letter in 2018.
Timeline of the voluntary referral and media reports
The Metropolitan Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct following internal reviews of its handling of a 2019 letter. The letter warned that Thomas Markle posed a security threat to Meghan.
LBC reported the referral on Thursday, October 29, 2026, while NewsCord noted that seven outlets covered the news that same day. News24 reported the referral on Friday, October 30, 2026.
An article titled "Meghan Markle’s Father Scandal Deepens As Police Make ‘Voluntary Referral’ To Watchdog" was published on Friday, October 30, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Police watchdog to investigate Met over Thomas Markle allegations letter (independent.co.uk)
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (Wikipedia — background) (en.wikipedia.org)
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