The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the police watchdog over its handling of a letter containing allegations against Meghan Markle's father, Thomas Markle.
Britain's biggest police force admitted it received a letter detailing allegations against Meghan Markle's father, but officers did not pass it on to law enforcement agencies overseas.
The Duchess was made aware of allegations concerning her father in early 2019, when his first wife, Roslyn Loveless, wrote to the Metropolitan Police.
Scotland Yard statement on the letter
Scotland Yard said in a statement: “The author of the letter suggested they were writing to raise concerns relating to the security of the Duchess of Sussex. While the letter did not actually contain any information specifically related to security matters, it did contain a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom. The letter was assessed and subsequently passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.”
Voluntary referral to the IOPC
The statement continued: “In recent days, the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has carried out an initial review into our actions following receipt of the letter in 2019.
“Following that review, a voluntary referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) 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.
“In addition, it is our intention to make a number of referrals to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies in relation to the allegations contained within the letter. That process is underway and will be completed in the coming days.”
Boxes of material handed to police
Four boxes of material said to belong to Mr Markle, 82, were handed to police by his son, Thomas Markle Jr.
The boxes are understood to contain mobile phones, hard drives, dismantled computers and other devices and personal effects allegedly left behind by Mr Markle Sr when he moved back to the US in May.
