The Metropolitan Police has said it did not launch an investigation into Thomas Markle Sr., the father of the Duchess of Sussex, when allegations concerning child abuse material were raised in 2018, according to n-tv.de. The force is now looking into the reasons why no inquiry was opened at the time. The statement follows public allegations by Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., that their father possessed such material.
Meghan, 45, addressed the matter during the day, referring to a letter said to have contained serious accusations against her 82-year-old father back in 2018. According to n-tv.de, that letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and to Royalty and Specialist Protection, the unit responsible for guarding the British royal family, and its contents were also made known to her.
Why it matters
The case has widened beyond a family dispute into a question about how British policing handled a serious allegation involving a person connected by marriage to the royal family. The Metropolitan Police's confirmation that no investigation was opened in 2018, and its decision to examine that outcome now, places the force's own decision-making under scrutiny. It also puts the conduct of Royalty and Specialist Protection in the frame, since the letter was addressed to that unit as well as to the Met.
For Meghan, the episode is a public and personal one: she has confirmed that she was aware of the letter and its accusations at the time. The allegations themselves remain allegations. No finding has been reported against Thomas Markle Sr., and the material summarized here does not indicate that any charge has been brought.
What the police have said, and what remains open
The Met's account, as reported by n-tv.de, is narrow: no investigation was initiated in 2018, and the force is now reviewing why that was the case. The reporting does not set out what form that review will take, whether it involves a formal assessment of the original decision, or what timetable applies. It also does not say whether the force has contacted Thomas Markle Sr. or his representatives.
The letter at the centre of the dispute is described as having been sent to two recipients — the Metropolitan Police and the royal protection unit — and as having reached Meghan. Its precise wording has not been reproduced in the source reporting summarized here, and this article does not characterize its contents beyond the description given.
A widening set of authorities
According to n-tv.de, the allegations are now occupying authorities in several countries, although the reporting does not specify which agencies or jurisdictions are involved. That detail matters because any assessment of material said to have been held or shared would depend on where the relevant conduct is alleged to have occurred and which legal framework applies.
Thomas Markle Jr.'s allegation against his father is the trigger for the current round of statements. The Duchess of Sussex's response came the same day, and it centred on the 2018 letter rather than on the substance of her half-brother's claim. The reporting does not indicate that she commented on whether she believes the allegations to be true.
The ages given in the reporting — 45 for Meghan and 82 for her father — are as stated by n-tv.de.
What to watch
The immediate focus is the Metropolitan Police's review of why no 2018 investigation followed the letter, and whether that review produces a public explanation or a change in the status of the case. Also worth watching is whether Royalty and Specialist Protection comments on its handling of the correspondence, and whether authorities in the other countries referenced by n-tv.de confirm any involvement.
