Met Police Refer Themselves to Watchdog Over 2019 Letter Involving Meghan Markle’s Father
Meghan faces a fresh update on a letter raising serious allegations against her father.
Problems continue to grow for Meghan Markle following a fresh update regarding a letter that raised serious allegations about her father, Thomas Markle Sr., several years ago. The latest development comes after questions were raised about how the Metropolitan Police handled the correspondence and why the information was not shared with other law enforcement agencies at the time. Addressing the speculation, the police department has now voluntarily referred itself to the police watchdog over its handling of the letter.
The letter dates back to 2019, and in a statement released on Thursday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed it had made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following an internal review of its actions back then. Commander Adam Slonecki, who leads the Metropolitan Police's Protection Command, explained that the force received a letter addressed to its Protection Command, specifically the Fixated Threats Assessment Centre, in January 2019.
Explaining the situation, Slonecki said, "The author of the letter suggested they were writing to raise concerns relating to the security of the Duchess of Sussex." However, the letter reportedly did not contain information directly related to Markle's security. Instead, it outlined several claims about alleged offenses outside the United Kingdom. Slonecki further added, "The letter was assessed and subsequently passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness."
The Met acknowledged that the allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies. Following its recent review, the force decided to refer the matter to the IOPC to examine both its decision not to inform other authorities and its decision to pass the letter to the Sussexes' office. The police force also confirmed that it plans to contact relevant overseas law enforcement agencies about the allegations.
Slonecki added, "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." The latest development follows Markle's statement last week, in which she revealed that she had been made aware of "disturbing allegations" about her father in 2018. She later corrected the date to 2019.
While the investigation is underway, Markle, Prince Harry, and their kids are currently believed to be abroad during their half-term break. The Duchess will soon travel to Australia to shoot for MasterChef Australia Junior.
