UK police to refer allegations about Meghan’s father to overseas agencies

Britain's Metropolitan Police said on Thursday it would refer allegations concerning the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to overseas law enforcement agencies after an internal review found that the claims had not been shared with other authorities when they were first received.

Britain’s Metropolitan Police said on Thursday it would refer allegations concerning the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to overseas law enforcement agencies after an internal review found that the claims had not been shared with other authorities when they were first received.

Police in the Philippines are investigating Thomas Markle over allegations that he possessed child sexual abuse images. Markle has denied the accusations, describing them as “sick lies” in an interview with Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper.

The Metropolitan Police said it received a letter in January 2019 that purported to raise concerns about Meghan’s security but instead contained claims of alleged offences outside Britain.

“The letter was assessed and subsequently passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness,” Commander Adam Slonecki, who leads the force’s Protection Command, said in a statement. “The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.”

Following an initial review of its handling of the letter, the force said it had made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog. The referral concerns both the decision not to inform other law enforcement agencies and the decision to pass the letter to the Sussexes’ office.

The force also said it intended to refer the allegations to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies.

“That process is underway and will be completed in the coming days,” Slonecki said.