Watchdog opens investigation into Met handling of Meghan letter

The Metropolitan Police faces an independent investigation into its handling of a 2019 letter containing allegations about Thomas Markle, after the force referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The IOPC said it had used its formal powers to investigate the Met’s failure to pass allegations of serious offending to relevant overseas authorities at the time. The letter was written by Markle’s former wife, Roslyn Loveless, who died in 2024, and was sent to the force’s royal protection team.

The Met said the letter had been assessed and passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. It did not share the allegations with other law-enforcement agencies, explaining that they related to possible unlawful activity outside the United Kingdom. The watchdog will examine which Met personnel made decisions about the letter and whether police policies and procedures were followed.

The Guardian reported that the claims concerned activities allegedly linked to the United States, the Philippines and Thailand. The BBC said the IOPC would consider why the contents were not shared with law-enforcement agencies in the UK or overseas. The force has now begun sending details to the FBI, authorities in the Philippines and Thai counterparts, according to The Guardian.

The Met said on Thursday that it expected the process to be completed in the coming days. Reports also say officers did not retain a copy of the letter and later had to obtain one from the Sussexes. The IOPC will not investigate a separate question about whether passing the letter to the Duchess’s office may have breached data rules.

The BBC reported that this matter would be returned to the Met to deal with appropriately. The watchdog did not provide details about the alleged data issue. The letter has become relevant amid separate allegations in the Philippines involving Thomas Markle, who is 82 and denies wrongdoing.

Authorities there are investigating claims involving alleged child-abuse images. Markle has described the allegations as “sick lies”, while his daughter Samantha has also dismissed them. Philippine authorities have obtained a warrant to examine devices and other material handed over by Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr.

The material reportedly includes computers, phones, hard drives and old videotapes. The investigation is examining whether the allegations have any basis; no conclusion has been reported. Meghan has said the 2019 letter contained troubling allegations about her father and helped explain why she did not visit him or allow him to meet her children.

The IOPC investigation will focus on the Met’s handling of the information, rather than determining whether the allegations against Markle are true.