Met Police May Refer Itself to Watchdog Over Handling of Markle Allegations

The Metropolitan Police has stated it may refer itself to the police watchdog regarding its handling of allegations made against Thomas Markle, father of the Duchess of Sussex. This comes after it was revealed that the force failed to alert the FBI or any other police force when it warned Meghan Markle seven years ago about "troubling and disturbing" child sex abuse claims against her father.

The Met received a letter in January 2019 containing claims of "alleged offending outside the United Kingdom." However, the police confirmed that the details of these allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies. The letter was sent to the Met's Protection Command because it raised concerns related to the Duchess's security arrangements. A decision was made to pass the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness.

Thomas Markle, 82, believes his son, Tom Jr., may have authored the letter, accusing him of child sex crimes as part of a vendetta. "I don't know why but he was always angry at me because I told him how disappointed I've been with him," Mr. Markle stated, suggesting his son was jealous of his successful Hollywood career.

In a statement, the Duchess of Sussex said she was "given assurances" that the allegations against her father were being investigated, citing this as a reason for cutting ties with him to protect her children. The Met's admission that the details were not shared with overseas law enforcement has raised questions about who provided these assurances and why the potential international nature of the allegations was not shared with agencies like the FBI.

Dai Davies, former head of the Met Police's royal protection group, called the force's response "disgraceful" and questioned the lack of common sense in not escalating a potentially explosive issue given Meghan's position. He stated that such serious allegations should have been passed to the FBI and thoroughly investigated.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed it is reviewing its handling of the matter in 2019 and is considering whether a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is necessary.

Separately, Mr. Markle is reportedly under investigation by a child-sex abuse task force in the Philippines, with the FBI also expected to join the probe now that he is living in Florida. This investigation stems from claims made by Tom Jr. to police in the Philippines about discovering "hundreds" of child-sex images in boxes at their father's home. Mr. Markle has described these allegations as "sick lies."