London police reviewing 2018 handover to Meghan of letter with allegations against her father

Police launch internal review

London's Metropolitan Police said it is examining reports of a letter sent in 2018 to one of its specialist units containing allegations against Thomas Markle, the father of the Duchess of Sussex. According to The Sun, which first published the claims, the letter was sent to the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, which deals with people posing a threat to the royal family and politicians. A police spokesperson said: British police are not investigating Thomas Markle himself, who lives in the United States and categorically denies the allegations made against him.

Meghan's statement and the nature of the allegations

Meghan issued a statement saying that a letter with. She said that in 2018 she Meghan learned of the allegations shortly after her wedding to Prince Harry, but could not speak about it publicly, so as not to jeopardise a potential investigation: public statements could have led to legal action against her.

Investigation in the Philippines and the US response

Philippine Deputy Justice Minister Nicholas Ty told the BBC that the national police seized Thomas Markle Sr's computer for a comprehensive digital forensic examination; according to him, it will take a week to obtain the results, and the data is being analysed to determine the full scale of the alleged criminal activity. The US FBI said it and would provide the Philippine authorities with, as well as

Context and Meghan's position

Thomas Markle, a former television lighting director, moved to the Philippines in 2025 after a series of strokes; he is reported to be currently in a rehabilitation centre in Florida, where he is learning to walk again after having a leg amputated during surgery in December 2025. Meghan's relationship with her father broke down shortly before her 2018 wedding, when it emerged that he had worked with photographers, receiving payment for staged photos of his wedding preparations. In her Friday statement, Meghan said she hoped people would understand why she kept her distance from her father and describing the allegations as, and expressing the hope that

Why it matters

The affair touches three jurisdictions at once — the UK, the Philippines and the US — and raises the question of how police handled serious allegations eight years ago: the Scotland Yard internal review may establish whether the letter was indeed passed to the Duchess and what happened to it afterwards. For families dealing with similar allegations, Meghan's position also matters; she explained her silence by the risks to a future investigation. The practical consequences depend on the results: the Philippine computer examination will take about a week, according to the minister, and the outcome of the Metropolitan Police review may clarify the fate of the 2018 letter.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Unknown