Letter sent to Met Police ‘warned that Thomas Markle abused a child’ – as Meghan reveals she cut off contact after learning of ‘disturbing’ allegations eight years ago
Developed over time first seen 2 hours ago
A letter sent to the Metropolitan Police in 2018 allegedly accused Thomas Markle of sexually abusing a child and travelling to Thailand and the Philippines to abuse children. Meghan said she learnt of the claims soon after marrying Prince Harry, was told they were being investigated, and cut contact with her father to protect her children.
The Met says it is making internal enquiries into whether officers passed the letter to Meghan, but has not confirmed that this happened. The force says it has not previously investigated Thomas Markle and is not currently investigating him; allegations that he possessed child sexual abuse material have also been made by his son, which Thomas Markle denies.
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In short
- A 2018 letter reportedly made serious allegations about Thomas Markle.
- Meghan says she learnt of the claims after her wedding.
- The Met is checking whether the letter was passed to her.
How this story developed
- 52 minutes ago A letter sent to the Metropolitan Police in 2018 allegedly accused Thomas Markle of sexually abusing a child and travelling to Thailand and the Philippines to abuse children.
Full account
A letter sent to the Metropolitan Police in 2018 made allegations of child sexual abuse against Thomas Markle Snr, according to a report citing a copy of the correspondence. The claims have resurfaced as authorities in the Philippines investigate a separate allegation that he possessed child sexual abuse images at his former home in Cebu. Mr Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, strongly denies possessing such material. The allegations remain unproven.
The first report says the letter was addressed to the Met’s Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, a unit concerned with potential threats to prominent people. It says the writer accused Mr Markle of abusing a child and claimed he had spoken of travelling to Thailand and the Philippines to abuse children. Those are allegations attributed to the letter’s author; the account does not establish that the alleged conduct occurred.
Meghan said she learned of allegations concerning her father shortly after her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. In a statement issued after the latest reports, she said a letter sent to the Met and its Royalty and Specialist Protection Command had subsequently been shared with her. She described its contents as troubling and said she had been assured the claims were being investigated. She also said her decision to keep her distance from her father and prevent contact between him and her children was intended to protect them. The family has been estranged since 2018.
The Met has said it is making internal enquiries to establish whether officers passed the letter to Meghan. It has not confirmed that they did. The first report says the force has neither previously investigated Mr Markle nor opened a current investigation into him, and says it remains unclear whether information was passed to authorities overseas. Meghan’s account of the assurance she received and the Met’s present inability to confirm the letter’s handling leave questions about what happened after it arrived in 2018.
The current inquiry in the Philippines follows a claim by Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jnr, that he found hundreds of suspected child sexual abuse images among belongings at their father’s former home. Philippine authorities are investigating. The second report says the FBI told TMZ it was aware of the allegations, would support Philippine authorities where appropriate and would examine any related possible breaches of US federal law. That statement does not itself establish what the material contains or who possessed it.
The two reports focus on different stages of the story: the first examines the 2018 letter and the Met’s response, while the second concentrates on the Philippine investigation and the FBI’s stated willingness to assist. Neither establishes whether the allegations in the letter are connected to the images Thomas Markle Jnr says he found. Mr Markle Snr has rejected the allegation about the images as lies.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
Source 1 gives a more specific account of the allegations said to appear in the 2018 letter; Source 2 mentions the letter but focuses on the present investigation.
Source 1 emphasises the Met’s internal enquiries and the uncertainty over whether officers shared the letter with Meghan. Source 2 emphasises the FBI’s offer of support to Philippine authorities.
The reports describe allegations from 2018 and a later allegation about images. They do not establish that the two concern the same events or evidence.
Explained simply
The Metropolitan Police Service, often called the Met, is the force responsible for policing most of London. Thomas Markle is Meghan’s father; Meghan married Prince Harry in 2018, and they have two children.
The reported letter contained serious allegations about Thomas Markle, which he denies. The Met has said it is checking whether officers passed the letter to Meghan, and that it has not investigated him. The case raises questions about how allegations are handled and shared, while the claims themselves remain unproven.
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