Met refers 2019 Markle letter handling to police watchdog
Crime · First reported 29 Oct, 16:26 · Updated 19:07
The Metropolitan Police has referred its handling of a 2019 letter about Thomas Markle to the Independent Office for Police Conduct after acknowledging that it passed the letter to Meghan and Prince Harry’s office but did not share its allegations with overseas law enforcement. The Met says it is now referring the allegations to relevant authorities abroad; Philippine police are investigating separate claims involving alleged child-abuse images, which Markle denies.
- The Met says it received a letter in January 2019 alleging offending outside the UK, assessed it, and passed it to the office of Meghan and Prince Harry. It did not share the allegations with other law enforcement agencies at the time.
- Following an internal review, the Met made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The watchdog says it is assessing the referral before deciding what further action may be needed.
- The Met says it is sending information about the letter’s allegations to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies. Philippine authorities are examining devices and investigating allegations concerning images; Markle denies possessing illegal material.
- The Met has been unable to find its copy of the 2019 letter, and Meghan provided a copy she had kept when asked by police. The letter’s author and precise allegations are not identified in all the supplied accounts.
Summary written by Lux AI from 4 articles
Key facts
- Letter received
- January 2019
- Watchdog
- Independent Office for Police Conduct
- Met’s handling
- Passed the letter to the Sussexes’ office; did not share the allegations with other law enforcement agencies at the time
- Met letter copy
- The Met could not find its copy; Meghan supplied hers when asked
- Markle’s position
- He denies possessing child-abuse images
- Next steps
- The Met plans referrals to overseas authorities; the IOPC is assessing the referral
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Background
- An earlier Lux summary said the Met was reviewing how it handled the January 2019 letter and that Philippine authorities were investigating separate allegations, which Markle denied. [2198a0ee-a6f1-4c49-95a9-64b84aef3c58]
- Earlier coverage noted that the letter’s contents were later passed to the Sussexes and that the supplied evidence did not establish whether the allegations were true. [85a35ee3-9c4b-42bd-bf1b-d78a67554d0b]
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