Meghan Markle reportedly wanted to make allegations against her father, Thomas Markle, public in 2019. British police are now facing an investigation into their handling of the case.
Meghan Markle has once again found herself at the centre of a family controversy that now also involves Scotland Yard. The Duchess of Sussex reportedly wanted to make serious allegations against her father, Thomas Markle, public in 2019. The allegations concerned suspected sexual offences against minors. However, a royal protection officer allegedly advised her to remain silent, assuring her that the authorities would investigate the matter.
The information, revealed by The Sunday Times, has taken on particular significance after the Metropolitan Police acknowledged that the allegations had never been passed on to the authorities in the countries where the alleged offences were said to have taken place.
The case dates back to January 2019, when Scotland Yard received a handwritten letter from Roslyn Loveless, Thomas Markle’s first wife, containing serious allegations against her former husband. The document was reviewed by officers responsible for protecting the Royal Family before being forwarded to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s office at Kensington Palace.
According to the newspaper’s investigation, Meghan considered speaking publicly about the contents of the letter, particularly as she was facing widespread criticism over her estrangement from her father. However, one of her protection officers reportedly advised her against making any public statements to avoid interfering with a potential police investigation.
What the Duchess did not know at the time was that the allegations had not been referred to the relevant overseas law enforcement agencies.
The situation prompted the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to launch an investigation on 30 October into Scotland Yard’s handling of the matter. The watchdog will examine why the information was not passed on and whether the appropriate procedures were followed.
Meanwhile, authorities in the Philippines are investigating allegations concerning the possession of child sexual abuse material attributed to Thomas Markle, following claims by his son, Thomas Markle Jr., that he had discovered files among his father’s belongings. Reports have also emerged of a police search in Mexico connected to the case.
Thomas Markle, 82, has categorically denied the allegations, describing them as false. The investigations remain ongoing, and no court has established his responsibility for the alleged offences.
For her part, Meghan had previously acknowledged being deeply affected by the allegations. The Duchess explained that her decision to keep her children, Archie and Lilibet, away from their grandfather was motivated by her desire to protect them.
“My decision not to allow him to have contact with our children was based on one reason alone: to protect them,” she said in a recently released statement.
The case has evolved from a family controversy into an investigation into the conduct of British police, who must now establish what happened to the initial warning in 2019 and why the allegations were not passed on to the relevant authorities at the time.
