Follow-Up: Met Police Refers Itself to Watchdog Over 2019 Letter About Meghan's Father, Will Pass Allegations to Overseas Agencies
GSM reported on October 23 that Meghan had spoken out about her father, Thomas Markle, being investigated in the Philippines, saying she first learned of "troubling and disturbing allegations" against him from a letter in 2019 and cut off contact to protect her children. On October 29, London's Metropolitan Police said it has voluntarily referred itself to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), over its handling of that letter.
In its statement, the Met said that in January 2019 its Protection Command's Fixated Threats Assessment Centre received the letter. The author suggested they were writing to raise concerns about the Duchess of Sussex's security, but the letter contained no security information; instead, it contained a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom. The letter was assessed and passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness, but the details of the allegations were not shared with any other law enforcement agency. Commander Adam Slonecki, who leads the Protection Command, said that after an initial review by the Directorate of Professional Standards, the Met made a voluntary referral to the IOPC in respect of both decisions, and that it intends to make a number of referrals to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies in relation to the allegations, a process already under way and expected to be completed in the coming days.
The IOPC confirmed it received the referral, and UK media subsequently reported that the IOPC has decided an investigation is required, focused on why the Met failed to pass allegations of serious offending to relevant overseas authorities at the time. According to The Guardian, the Met is now sending details of the letter to the FBI and to law enforcement in the Philippines and Thailand; other reports say the Met did not keep a copy of the letter and had to ask Meghan for hers. Thomas Markle denies all the allegations, and Philippine police have begun searching electronic devices seized from his former home. Meghan has not issued a new public response to this latest development.
Related: Meghan speaks out as her father is investigated in the Philippines
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：梅根2019年访问南非一家反性别暴力教育机构（资料图）。eNCA 视频截图，CC BY 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Meghan visiting an anti-gender-based-violence education club in South Africa in 2019 (file photo). Still from an eNCA video, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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- 2026-11-01Follow-Up: Met Police Refers Itself to Watchdog Over 2019 Letter About Meghan's Father, Will Pass Allegations to Overseas AgenciesThis story
