The investigation focuses on a 2019 letter authored by Roslyn Loveless, Thomas Markle's late first wife, which detailed allegations of serious offending abroad. Although the Met's royal protection team gave the letter to the Sussexes' office, officers failed to forward the claims to relevant domestic or foreign authorities at the time. The watchdog will also look into reports that the police failed to retain a copy of the physical document and eventually had to ask the Duke and Duchess for one.
Key points
The Met voluntarily referred itself to the watchdog and plans to notify relevant overseas…: The Met voluntarily referred itself to the watchdog and plans to notify relevant overseas agencies in the coming days.
Meghan Markle cited the serious claims within the correspondence as justification for cut…: Meghan Markle cited the serious claims within the correspondence as justification for cutting off contact between her father and grandchildren.
Thomas Markle Sr. strongly denied the accusations as sick lies, with his daughter Samanth…: Thomas Markle Sr. strongly denied the accusations as sick lies, with his daughter Samantha also dismissing them as fake.
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- Published
The UK police watchdog is to investigate the Metropolitan Police's handing of a letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle that was handed to his daughter, the Duchess of Sussex, in 2019.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had decided an investigation was required into the force's "failure to pass on allegations of serious offending... to relevant overseas authorities at the time".
The letter, written by Markle's first wife Roslyn Loveless, is believed to have contained claims about Meghan's father.
He has strongly denied recent allegations that he had possessed images of child abuse, describing them as "sick lies".
On Thursday the Met said it had voluntarily referred itself to the IOPC.
The letter at the heart of the IOPC investigation was sent to the Met's royal protection team by Loveless, who divorced Thomas Markle in 1975 and died in 2024.
The handwritten letter was then passed to Meghan in January 2019, with the duchess saying last week that it had "made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father".
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