The Metropolitan Police has admitted it failed to pass serious allegations about the Duchess of Sussex’s father to the appropriate authorities, instead sending the material directly to the royal couple’s private office. The force has now voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following an internal review that uncovered a series of missteps dating back to January 2019.
The referral centres on a letter received by the Met’s Protection Command — specifically its Fixated Threats Assessment Centre — from Roslyn Loveless, Thomas Markle Sr’s first ex-wife, who has since died. While the correspondence was framed as a security concern for the Duchess, Commander Adam Slonecki confirmed it contained no actual threat information. Instead, it detailed claims of alleged criminal offending committed outside the United Kingdom.
A letter that went astray
The Met assessed the letter and made two critical decisions. First, it forwarded the document to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “for their awareness.” Second — and more consequentially — it did not share the allegations with any other law enforcement agency, either in Britain or abroad. The force has since acknowledged that the original letter was misplaced; the Duchess retained a copy, which she later provided to investigators when asked.
Sources close to the Duchess say she is “upset and really frustrated” by the handling of the matter. At the time, she was assured the “troubling” allegations were being investigated. That investigation, it now appears, never materialised.
Fresh allegations spark urgent action
The Met’s self-referral comes amid a dramatic escalation in the Philippines. On Thursday, police there obtained a warrant to examine electronic devices seized from Markle Sr’s former residence, acting on a report that hundreds of images of child sexual abuse had been discovered at the property. The claim was made by the Duchess’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, who says he found the material and reported it to both local police and the FBI.
Markle Sr, now recovering in a Florida nursing facility after a life-saving leg amputation in 2025, has vehemently denied the accusations. Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, he described them as “sick lies.”
“I have never had sex with anyone under the age of 18,” he said. “When I was single I travelled to the Philippines at least twice and slept with prostitutes. I like Asian women, but that is not a crime. I am not well enough to go to the Philippines but I will speak to anyone who wants to talk to me. I have nothing to hide.”
He also welcomed a forensic examination of his computer, suggesting any illicit material would have been planted.
A fractured family, a public reckoning
The Duchess has been estranged from her father since 2018. Last year, while he was recovering from surgery in the Philippines, she sent what the Sun on Sunday described as a final letter. In it, she reportedly wrote that she knows he is an abuser and that he will never meet his grandchildren, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
The Met has stated its intention to make multiple referrals to overseas law enforcement agencies regarding the allegations contained in the 2019 letter. For now, the IOPC will examine whether the force’s decision-making — both in withholding information from partner agencies and in passing sensitive material to a private household — met the standards expected of public servants.
Why it Matters
This case exposes a troubling gap between royal protection protocols and the fundamental duty of police to pursue evidence of serious crime, regardless of who the subject may be. When a force tasked with safeguarding public figures instead becomes a gatekeeper — deciding which allegations reach investigators and which are quietly filed away — public trust erodes. The Met’s belated referral to the IOPC is a necessary step, but it cannot undo the years lost. For the potential victims at the centre of these allegations, justice delayed is justice denied.
