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A statement meant to settle one question ended up raising another. On Friday, the Duchess of Sussex explained why she keeps her father, Thomas Markle Snr, out of her life. By Sunday, her representatives had issued a clarification after London’s Metropolitan Police gave a different timeline. The serious allegations about Markle, which he denies, are a separate matter and remain unproven.
The statement came on Friday, Oct. 23, a day after The Sun reported claims about her father. Meghan wrote that “In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police,” and that it was later shared with her. She said it made “troubling and disturbing allegations” against her father, and that she was told they were being investigated. The Express reports she said the claims were why she kept him away from her children.
The claims came from Thomas Markle Jnr, her half-brother. He reportedly told authorities in the Philippines he found illegal images of children at their father’s former home in Cebu. Thomas Markle Snr denies it and calls the claims “sick lies.” He has not been charged, and Philippine authorities say they are investigating. Nothing has been proven in court. Then London police weighed in on the date.
London Police Said the Letter Arrived in January 2019, and Its Own Handling Is Now Under Review
The police record put the letter’s arrival in January 2019, not 2018. The Metropolitan Police said so on Saturday, Oct. 24. It said the letter went to its Protection Command because of concerns about the Duchess’s security. It was reviewed and passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The statement did not name Thomas Markle Snr.
The force described the letter as containing “a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom.” It said the details of the allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies. The Met is also examining how it handled the matter and is considering whether to refer itself to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct. CBS reports it is understood the Met is not investigating Markle.
The date is now disputed, but the bigger questions are about process. Who acted on the letter in 2019, and what was done? The BBC reported on Sunday that the seven-page letter was written by Markle Snr’s late first wife, Roslyn Loveless, the mother of Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle Jnr. The Met’s statement did not name the writer. Meghan’s side then had to explain the date.
Her Team Said She Was “Doing Her Best” to Recall 2018, and One Columnist Called It a “Blunder”
On Sunday, Meghan’s representatives issued a clarification. They said she was doing her best to recall events from more than seven years ago. They said she did not have a diary entry or other record from the time. They also accepted that the Met’s official time-stamp should be treated as the accurate record. The Express reported these details. That ended the date dispute, at least on paper.
One Express columnist argued the episode showed haste. The column called it a “blunder” and said Meghan should have verified her facts first. It pointed to a 2022 interview with The Cut, in which Meghan said she had found a private journal from her time as a working royal. The columnist asked why her team now said there was no record. That is one writer’s opinion, not a finding.
A fair reading has more than one side. Meghan’s statement spoke of when a letter was sent. The Met’s statement spoke of when it received one. Her team has accepted the Met’s date. Some will call this a small slip about events years old, while others will call it a rushed statement. Either way, the date does not decide whether the allegations are true.
A Date Can Be Corrected in a Day, but the Allegations Will Take Investigators Far Longer
The most important questions have not been answered. No court has ruled on the allegations against Thomas Markle Snr. He denies them. Philippine authorities say they are investigating, and he has not been charged. Under the law, an allegation is not a finding of guilt. That holds for every person, including a man who is estranged from a famous daughter.
The claims began with his son. The Daily Mail reported he first saw material on an old phone at his father’s home in the Philippines and reported it in July to an FBI hotline, a U.S. child protection group, and Pennsylvania state police. He also told Philippine police. His father calls the claims “sick lies” and “the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.” No charges have been announced.
The date was the part anyone could check, so it became the headline. It pulled attention from harder questions. Why was a 2019 letter not passed to other agencies? Are the claims true? Those belong to the Met’s review and to investigators, not to a news cycle. A timeline can be corrected in a day. The truth about the allegations will take far longer.