When police get abuse tip-offs, who gets told first?

When police receive allegations of child sexual abuse images, who else gets told? That simple question sits at the center of a controversy with serious public consequences. The Metropolitan police have confirmed that in January 2019 they received a letter containing a number of allegations about offending outside Britain, passed it to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and did not share the details with other law enforcement agencies.

The confirmation followed accusations that emerged on Friday concerning Thomas Markle Sr, the Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father. The Sun newspaper published claims that Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, said he had found a stash of images belonging to their father at his former home in the Philippines. Markle Jr, 60, told detectives in the Philippines that he had discovered hundreds, if not thousands, of child sexual abuse images on computers and mobile phones stored in four large boxes at the home in Cebu where Markle Sr lived until he returned to the US in May after having a stroke. Markle Jr also said he had contacted the FBI in the US, according to the Sun.

For the public, the case turns on how a police force handles sensitive allegations and whether its own processes stand up to scrutiny. The Met said it is reviewing its handling of the matter and considering whether to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct so that its approach can be independently examined. Further details of the force’s account can be found in the Guardian’s report: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/24/met-admits-it-did-not-pass-on-2019-letter-about-meghan-markle-father-thomas-markle-allegations-

In a statement, a Metropolitan police spokesperson said: “Following a thorough review of Met police systems and records, we have confirmed that in January 2019, we received a letter containing a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom. It was sent to the MPS Protection Command to raise concerns in relation to the security of the Duchess of Sussex. The letter was reviewed and a decision was made that it should be passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.”

The duchess said on Friday that she had been made aware of the allegations by the Met and that she was deeply distressed. In a statement issued through her spokesperson, she said: “I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed.” She said a letter had been sent to the Metropolitan police and Royalty and Specialist Protection, and that it was subsequently shared with her, making troubling and disturbing allegations against her father, with assurances that these were being investigated.

She explained that her estrangement from her father, and her choice not to allow him contact with her children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, was made for one reason: to protect them. He has never met them. She added that her sincerest hope was that justice would be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.

The duchess later corrected herself on one detail, confirming that the Met had contacted her in 2019 rather than 2018 as she first said. A spokesperson for her said that recalling events from more than seven years ago, without a diary entry or contemporaneous record, made a discrepancy of a few months understandable, and that if the MPS holds a time-stamped record confirming the letter was reviewed in 2019, that should be treated as the accurate reference point.

Sources said that although Meghan was made aware of the allegations in 2019, she had been unable to speak publicly, to avoid jeopardising any future investigation and because speaking out could have resulted in legal action against her. Markle Sr has denied the allegations and told the Daily Mail the accusations were “sick lies”. Meghan and Prince Harry recently moved back to the UK from the US.

What remains open is whether the IOPC referral goes ahead, and with it a fuller public answer on how the Met weighs its duties when allegations of this gravity arrive on its desk.