The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police complaints watchdog, over its handling of a letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle, the father of the Duchess of Sussex. The letter, written by Markle's ex-wife Roslyn Loveless, was reportedly handed to Meghan in 2019 and is believed to contain claims about her father and child sexual abuse.
The Met stated it voluntarily made the referral "in respect of the decision not to inform other law enforcement agencies, and the decision to pass the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex." The force indicated it intended to make further referrals to "relevant overseas law enforcement agencies" in the coming days.
The letter, sent to the Met's royal protection team by Loveless before her death in 2024, was passed to Meghan in January 2019. The Duchess stated last week that the letter contained "troubling and disturbing allegations against my father" and provided her with sufficient reason for not visiting him or allowing him to meet his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet.
Scotland Yard confirmed the letter contained claims about offending outside the United Kingdom and that it was forwarded to "the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness." While the letter did not contain information specifically related to security matters, the Met acknowledged it contained allegations about offenses outside the UK. An initial review by the Met led to the voluntary referral to the IOPC.
The IOPC will examine why the Met did not share the letter's contents with other law enforcement agencies, both domestically and internationally, given the serious nature of the allegations. Reports also suggest the Met did not retain a copy of the letter and had to obtain one from the Sussexes' office.
Meghan had stated last week that she believed the allegations were being investigated. However, the IOPC will scrutinize the handling of these warnings. Questions may also arise regarding what royal officials knew about the letter, which was sent while Meghan was a working royal.
Jim Gamble, former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he would have expected the police to share such warnings. "If you get information that comes to you about someone from a foreign jurisdiction who represents a threat to children, there's a well-worn path and generally you'd expect a UK police force to share that information," Gamble said. He added that he would have expected the Metropolitan Police to contact the FBI, as American authorities might possess corroborating information.
This situation emerges as Thomas Markle's son reportedly informed police in the Philippines about material allegedly containing sexual images of children, found among Meghan's father's possessions. Thomas Markle was in the Philippines in December 2025 for hospital treatment when Meghan wrote to him to end contact. Authorities in the Philippines have begun investigating these claims. Thomas Markle has denied all allegations, a stance supported by his daughter Samantha, who has dismissed the claims as "fake."