The Duchess of Sussex reportedly wanted to speak publicly about allegations concerning her estranged father several years ago but was advised against it by Metropolitan Police royal bodyguards.
Meghan Markle revealed last week that she had knowledge of previous claims surrounding Thomas Markle Sr, 82, after it emerged he was under investigation for alleged possession of child sexual abuse material by police in the Philippines.
In a statement, Meghan said she had been told of "troubling allegations" by British police in 2018, and that her eight-year estrangement from her father was "motivated by a desire to protect her children".
Advice from royal protection officers
It has now been claimed that Meghan wanted to speak out about the allegations at the time, but was told by one Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP) bodyguard: "Leave it with us, we'll investigate it."
The same officer is said to have advised Meghan not to give any public explanation for her decision to cut all communications with her father in 2018, according to the Daily Mail.
The Met has confirmed it was sent a letter containing allegations about Thomas Markle in January 2019, but did not pass on the information to law enforcement agencies abroad.
Letter and investigation details
Meghan is said to have sent a final letter to her father while he was recovering in the Philippines from a leg amputation last year, telling him that she "knows he is an abuser" and that he will never see his grandchildren Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
Thomas Markle has admitted paying for sex in the south-east Asian country, but said it was only with adult sex workers. He also denies possession of child sexual abuse material.
Met Police referral to watchdog
The Metropolitan Police said on Thursday it had voluntarily referred itself to the police watchdog over its handling of the allegations.
An Independent Office for Police Conduct (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.
"We have decided that a further conduct matter – relating to an alleged data breach where information was passed on to a third party – should be returned to the force to be appropriately dealt with including via its data breach policies if required."
