London police review handling of 2019 complaint against Meghan Markle's father

The Metropolitan Police in London has begun a review of how it handled a complaint regarding Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. The force confirmed on Saturday that it received a letter in 2019 containing a "number of claims" about Markle. This internal examination will determine whether the police refer themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the country's main police watchdog.

A spokesperson for Scotland Yard disclosed the existence of the letter to CBS News on Saturday. According to the police, the 2019 document was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex so they could be aware of its contents. The details of the allegations were not passed on to other law enforcement agencies at that time.

The police confirmation follows a week of intense media coverage regarding Markle's situation in the Philippines. The Sun reported on Thursday that Markle's son, Thomas Markle Jr., had reported his father to authorities in the Philippines. The younger man alleged that he found child abuse materials in storage boxes at the family home. By Friday, reports indicated that Philippine authorities were dealing with Markle over alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials, a claim Markle denied in a report by the Daily Mail.

Discrepancies exist between the timeline provided by the police and the account given by the Duchess. In a statement sent to CBS News on Friday, Meghan said she was "deeply distressed" by the recent reports. She stated that she had known of the allegations since 2018 and that they were shared with U.K. authorities at that time. "In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection," her statement read. She added that she was given assurances that the "troubling and disturbing allegations" were being investigated.

The Duchess also explained that she had kept her distance from her father to protect her children. She said she hoped it could now be understood that her decision not to allow him contact with the children had "one reason: to protect them," despite what she described as media distortions over the years.

A spokesman for the Duchess addressed the difference in dates between the 2018 reference in her statement and the 2019 date confirmed by police. In comments to BBC News, the spokesman said that "any discrepancy of a few months" was "an understandable consequence of that passage of time."

The Metropolitan Police is now formally assessing the steps it took when the original letter arrived. The outcome of this review will dictate if the case is escalated to the independent watchdog for further scrutiny.