Met faces watchdog referral over unshared allegations against Thomas Markle
The Metropolitan Police is facing criticism for not passing allegations of child-sex offences against Thomas Markle to the FBI or another overseas police force. The force said it may refer its handling of the claims to the police watchdog, raising questions about whether they were properly assessed.
The Met said it received a letter in January 2019, reviewed it because it raised concerns about Meghan Markle’s security, and passed it to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s office. It said the allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies and that it did not investigate Mr Markle, who was living in Mexico. Meghan said she had been assured the claims were being investigated; Mr Markle believes his son may have written the letter, but that remains unverified.
In short
- The Met did not refer allegations against Thomas Markle to overseas police.
- The force may refer its handling of the letter to the watchdog.
- Meghan said she was assured the claims were being investigated.
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The case for
The Met’s decision not to pass the allegations to overseas police may have left potentially serious claims without appropriate assessment, particularly given the force says it reviewed the letter in connection with Meghan’s security. A watchdog referral could establish whether the claims were handled properly and whether information should have been shared with agencies able to assess them.
The case against
The Met may have had sound reasons not to circulate unverified allegations or treat them as grounds for an investigation, especially if the letter’s purpose was to raise a security concern rather than provide evidence of an offence. Referring the claims to the Sussexes’ office may also have been a proportionate response, while an independent review can clarify whether the force followed proper procedures without presuming wrongdoing.
Explained simply
The Metropolitan Police is the force responsible for policing London. The FBI is a United States law-enforcement agency, while police in Mexico would normally handle allegations about someone living there.
Thomas Markle is Meghan Markle’s father, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are Meghan and Prince Harry. The claims in question concern alleged child-sex offences; they are allegations, not established facts, and it has not been verified who wrote the letter that raised them.
The issue matters because police forces may share information across borders when allegations concern serious offences or someone’s safety. Questions about how the Met assessed the letter also touch on the difference between passing information to another agency and carrying out an investigation itself.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Metropolitan Police under fire for failing to alert FBI over ‘troubling and disturbing’ claims about Thomas Markle”.