Met Faces IOPC Probe Over 2019 Letter
The police watchdog will examine why claims of wrongdoing by Meghan Markle's father were not sent to overseas agencies for seven years.
By Arjun Weber ·
The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched a formal investigation into the Metropolitan Police's handling of a 2019 letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle. The force referred itself to the watchdog after failing to forward claims of serious offending to law enforcement in other countries at the time.
The IOPC decided on Friday to use its formal powers to review the Met's actions. The investigation will determine who within the force made the decision not to pass the information to relevant overseas authorities. It will also check whether standard police policies and procedures were followed during that period.
The letter was written by Roslyn Loveless, Markle's former wife. It detailed claims of alleged wrongdoing by Markle in the United States, the Philippines, and Thailand. For seven years, the Met held the details without sharing them with foreign police forces. The force is only now sending the information to the FBI and law enforcement agencies in the Philippines and Thailand.
Markle, 82, currently lives in the United States. He faces allegations of child sexual abuse in the Philippines, which he denies. Philippine authorities are investigating digital images alleged to have been found at his former home in the country. On Saturday, Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla stated that a full forensic investigation would provide a definitive picture of the case.
The Met initially treated the 2019 letter as a security concern for the Duchess of Sussex. Commander Adam Slonecki, who leads the protection command, explained that the author suggested the letter raised security issues. However, the letter did not contain specific security information, only claims about alleged offending outside the UK.
The Met passed the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. Slonecki confirmed that the details of the allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies at that time. The Met also referred a potential data breach to the IOPC, arguing that passing the letter to the couple's office might have violated data rules because it contained sensitive information. The IOPC has decided not to investigate that specific issue.
