Met Police refers itself to watchdog over handling of letter about Meghan’s father

The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the police watchdog over the way it handled a letter containing allegations about the Duchess of Sussex’s father, Thomas Markle Snr.

What the Met has done

The force said that in 2019 it shared with Meghan a letter containing “claims about alleged offending outside the UK” by her father. It did not pass the claims on to other law enforcement agencies. The voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct covers both of those decisions: not informing other agencies, and passing the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The Met says it will now make “a number of referrals to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies” about the allegations, and that this process is under way.

Meghan “deeply distressed”

The Duchess of Sussex told Sky News she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations. She confirmed that a letter had been sent to the Met and was later shared with her.

Mr Markle Snr denies all the allegations. Police in the Philippines, where he moved in 2025, have obtained a court warrant to examine digital devices that were handed to them by his son, Thomas Markle Jr. Mr Markle Snr has had a series of strokes and is currently in a nursing facility in Florida.

What happens next

The IOPC will now decide whether, and how, to investigate the Met’s handling of the letter. The case comes as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex settle back in the UK, after moving home from the US in August.

Sources: Metropolitan Police, IOPC, Sky News via This is the Coast.

Follow Energy Radio on Facebook and Instagram.