Meghan Markle is both "upset" and "frustrated" after the Met Police admitted it had failed to act on sex abuse allegations made against her estranged father.
Thomas Markle Snr. is under investigation following the alleged discovery of boxes of child sex images that his son, Thomas Jr., claims to have found at their home in the Philippines.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Thomas Snr. denied possessing the images, calling the accusations "sick lies."
On Saturday, Scotland Yard confirmed that it had been sent a letter "containing a number of claims about alleged offending" outside its British jurisdiction, but admitted that it had not passed it on to authorities overseas.
The force is now considering whether to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over how the letter was handled.
Meghan 'obviously upset and really frustrated'
A friend of the Duchess of Sussex has now told the Telegraph: "She's obviously upset and really frustrated that, having effectively been told to stay quiet and having been given assurances it would be investigated, it appears nothing was done.
"She's obviously pleased that the Met is now considering referring itself to the police watchdog."
The Met now faces questions about why the information contained in the letter, which was reportedly sent to the Met's Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, was not shared, and whether opportunities were therefore missed to prevent further harm to children.
© NetflixUpon receiving the letter, Scotland Yard passed the letter to royal protection officers, who in turn shared it with Meghan. She was allegedly told that everything was "all in hand".
Mr Markle Snr has denied sleeping with underage girls, telling the Mail On Sunday: "I have never had sex with anyone under the age of 18." He said he would also welcome any forensic examination of his computer: "If there is anything bad on there, it was put there by someone else."
Former Head of Royal Protection admits he is 'gobsmacked'
Dai Davies, the former head of Scotland Yard’s Royal Protection Command, said he was "gobsmacked" that the Met had not contacted any other law enforcement bodies about the allegations.
Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: "I'm frankly astounded that, having received this material, they did not contact other relevant forces. One of their roles is to protect the reputation of the Royal family against any allegations.
© Alamy Stock Photo"I believe they had a duty of care not only to Meghan but to any alleged victims to investigate. They would have been duty-bound, especially given Harry and Meghan's level of fame just after their marriage, to carry out their own initial assessment and, if necessary, take it forward."
Dai added: "It frankly beggars belief that they didn't contact any other law enforcement agencies. I'm gobsmacked that they didn't."
He also expressed surprise that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not appear to have followed up the allegations against Mr Markle themselves.
"This would have been the obvious thing to do, especially as they shortly after went on to have children of their own," he said.
Meghan's final letter to father banning him from meeting Archie and Lilibet
The Duchess of Sussex wrote a letter to her estranged father in 2025 telling him she had been made aware of allegations against him, and that he would never meet his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
HELLO! understands that Meghan sent the letter to Thomas Markle Snr in December 2025 when he was in hospital in the Philippines, writing that it would be the last time he ever heard from her.
© InstagramThe Sun on Sunday first reported the news, revealing that to ensure that her father received the letter, Meghan "arranged for hospital management to take it to his bedside."
He was then "made to sign a form confirming receipt and was videoed accepting it, and read it several times."
The allegations against Meghan's father
Markle Snr is under investigation following the discovery of boxes of child sex images that his son, Thomas Jr., alleges he found at their home in the Philippines.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Markle Snr. denied possessing the images, calling the accusations "sick lies."
© Getty ImagesThomas Jr. submitted a sworn statement to authorities in Cebu on October 22, 2026 after allegedly discovering the material among possessions he said belonged to his father. He also claimed he had made the FBI aware, as Markle Snr. is now living in Pennsylvania.
The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking in the Philippines has since appointed a task force run by the specialist Women and Children’s Protection Centre, and the FBI told HELLO! that they were "aware of the allegations and will provide support, as appropriate, to the Philippine authorities."
"We will also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of U.S. law."
Meghan's statement revealed knowledge of allegations
On October 23, 2026 Meghan issued a statement, claiming that she had been made aware of "disturbing allegations" about her father after being shown a letter sent to Scotland Yard eight years ago making "troubling" allegations against her father.
"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.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageIt continued: "I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them.
"I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.
"Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children."
Met Police confirms it is reviewing the matter
A Met Police spokesperson said on October 24, 2026: "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 statement continued: "The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.
"The MPS is reviewing the handling of this matter in 2019 and considering whether a referral to the IOPC is necessary to review our approach."
