The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation into the Metropolitan Police over its failure to pass on a letter detailing allegations against Thomas Markle Sr, the Duchess of Sussex's father, to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies.
The probe follows a voluntary conduct referral from the Met Police. An IOPC spokesperson said: "Following a voluntary conduct referral from the Met Police, we have decided an independent investigation is required into its failure to pass on allegations of serious offending, contained in a letter it received in 2019, to relevant overseas authorities at the time."
Data breach matter returned to force
The IOPC also decided that a further conduct matter, relating to an alleged data breach where information was passed to a third party, should be returned to the force to be dealt with appropriately, including via its data breach policies if required.
The development comes as authorities in the Philippines launched an investigation into reputed child abuse images purportedly unearthed at Thomas Markle Sr's former home. Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, claimed last week that he discovered a stash of illicit material belonging to their father at the overseas property, prompting him to alert local police and the FBI.
Meghan's statement on allegations
While Mr Markle Sr has confessed to paying for sex in the Southeast Asian nation, he denies ever possessing illegal images. In a statement last week, Meghan said she was informed about "disturbing allegations" about her father in 2018 and hoped people would now understand why she distanced herself from him.
She said: "I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed. In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me. It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated. I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications' distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them. I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families. Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children."
After the date of the letter was confirmed as being 2019, a spokesman for the duchess said "any discrepancy of a few months" was "an understandable consequence of that passage of time". The investigation into the Met Police's handling of the letter is ongoing.
