By Sohaib Shams
The Metropolitan Police has voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over its handling of a letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle, the father of the Duchess of Sussex. The letter, written by Markle's first wife Roslyn Loveless, was handed to Meghan in January 2019 but not shared with other law enforcement agencies.
Letter from first wife
The handwritten letter was sent to the Met's royal protection team by Loveless, who divorced Thomas Markle in 1975 and died in 2024. Meghan said last week the letter made "troubling and disturbing allegations" against her father, giving her reason to cut contact and prevent him from meeting his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet.
Failure to share with agencies
Scotland Yard said the letter contained claims about alleged offending outside the UK and was forwarded to the Sussexes' office for awareness. The Met acknowledged it did not inform other UK or overseas law enforcement agencies, and an initial review led to the voluntary referral. The IOPC will examine why the contents were not shared and whether the force retained a copy of the letter.
Philippines investigation
The referral comes as Philippine authorities investigate separate claims that material containing child sexual abuse images was found in possessions belonging to Thomas Markle during his stay in the Philippines in December 2025. Philippine police have obtained a warrant to examine devices seized from Markle's former home, including computers, phones, and hard drives handed over by his son Thomas Markle Jr.
Markle denies allegations
Thomas Markle has strongly denied all allegations, describing recent claims about child abuse images as "sick lies." His daughter Samantha Markle has also dismissed the accusations as "fake."
