The Metropolitan Police has announced a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following a review into how the force handled a 2019 letter. The correspondence, which was addressed to the force's protection command, contained allegations regarding the father of the Duchess of Sussex, Thomas Markle Sr.
Commander Adam Slonecki, head of the Met’s protection command, confirmed that the letter was received in January 2019 and specifically directed to the fixated threats assessment centre. According to the force, the letter suggested the author was raising security concerns regarding the Duchess of Sussex. Rather than sharing the allegations with other law enforcement agencies at the time, the Met opted to pass the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness.
The force’s directorate of professional standards recently conducted an initial review of these actions, leading to the decision to involve the official police watchdog. The referral specifically concerns the Met’s choices not to inform other law enforcement bodies and to transmit the letter directly to the Sussexes' office. Commander Slonecki noted that the force also intends to make several referrals to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies regarding the allegations mentioned in the original letter, stating that this process is currently underway and expected to conclude in the coming days.
This development occurs alongside an ongoing investigation by authorities in the Philippines into suspected child sexual abuse images reportedly discovered at the former home of Thomas Markle Sr. His son, Thomas Markle Jr, alleged to the Sun that he found a collection of such images and reported the matter to local police and the FBI. While Markle Sr has acknowledged paying for sex while in the Philippines, he has denied possessing any illicit material.
Markle Sr has admitted paying for sex in the south-east Asian country but denies possessing illicit material.
