Police confirm 2019 letter on Meghan's father

Working families and public figures alike are watching closely as London's Metropolitan Police confirmed the existence of a 2019 letter containing claims about Thomas Markle. This verification matters because it clarifies the timeline of when authorities first became aware of issues involving the father of the Duchess of Sussex. The confirmation provides a concrete date for the initial report, which helps settle questions about how long the matter sat with law enforcement before recent media reports surfaced.

The first key point is the specific timing of the document. A spokesperson for Scotland Yard told CBS News on Saturday that the letter arrived in 2019. It contained a number of claims regarding Thomas Markle. This date is significant because it aligns with the period when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were actively managing their public and private lives in the United Kingdom.

The second point concerns how the information was shared. Police officials stated that the letter was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex so they would be aware of its contents. The specific details of the allegations were not distributed to other law enforcement agencies at that time. This limited sharing of information is a standard practice in some cases but has become a focal point for discussion following the recent news cycle.

The third key point is the police department's next step. The Metropolitan Police said they will review how the matter was handled in 2019. As part of this internal review, they will decide whether to refer the case to the police watchdog. This independent body oversees the conduct of police forces, and a referral would signal a deeper examination of the initial response and procedures used at the time.

This official confirmation follows a busy week of reports in British media. The Sun reported on Thursday that Markle had been reported to authorities in the Philippines by his son, Thomas Markle Jr. The younger man allegedly found child abuse materials in storage boxes at the family home in the Philippines. By Friday, reports indicated that Philippine authorities were dealing with Markle over the alleged possession of these materials. The Daily Mail also reported on Friday that Markle had denied the allegations against him.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, issued a statement to CBS News on Friday expressing that she was deeply distressed by the reports. She noted that she had known of the allegations since 2018 and that they had been shared with UK authorities at that time. Her statement explained that a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and the Royalty and Specialist Protection unit in 2018. She said the letter was subsequently shared with her and contained troubling and disturbing allegations against her father. She added that she was given assurances that these matters were being investigated.

The Duchess also addressed the impact on her family. She said she had kept her distance from her father to protect her children. She expressed hope that it could now be understood that her decision not to allow him contact with the children had one primary reason: to protect them. She referenced certain media publications' distortion over the years while making this point.

There is a slight difference in the dates provided by the two parties. Meghan referred to 2018 in her statement, while Scotland Yard confirmed receipt in 2019. A spokesman for the duchess addressed this gap in comments to BBC News, a CBS News partner. He described any discrepancy of a few months as an understandable consequence of the passage of time. This minor timeline variance does not change the core fact that the police have now officially acknowledged the letter's existence and its contents.