2019 Letter to Met Police on Meghan's Father Tied to Ex-Wife

A letter sent to London's Metropolitan Police in 2019 raising claims about Thomas Markle, the father of the Duchess of Sussex, was written by his first wife, Roslyn Loveless, according to BBC News. Loveless has since died.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed Saturday it received the letter in 2019 and shared it with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the time, BBC News reported. The force said it did not pass the letter's contents to other law enforcement agencies and is now reviewing its handling of the matter, per the same report.

Who Wrote the 2019 Letter to the Met Police?

Loveless divorced Markle in 1975, four years before he married Doria Ragland, the Duchess's mother, in 1979, BBC News reported. Meghan was born in 1981. Loveless is the mother of Meghan's half-siblings, Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle Jr., according to the report.

What Does the Letter Allege About Thomas Markle?

BBC News did not detail the specific contents of the 2019 letter. Separately, it has been reported that images of child sexual abuse allegedly belonging to Markle, 82, were found at his former home in the Philippines, according to BBC News. Markle denies all such allegations, the outlet reported.

Markle's son, Thomas Markle Jr., told the Sun he found a stash of images at his father's former Philippines residence and told police he discovered child abuse videos and pictures among the items, BBC News reported. Markle Jr. apologized to Meghan for "initially siding with her father" and said he had "been protecting the wrong person for the past nine years," according to the outlet. He contacted the FBI about the images in July, BBC News reported, and the FBI has confirmed it is aware of the allegations.

Markle told the Mail on Sunday he paid for sex in the Philippines on past visits but denied sleeping with underage girls or possessing child abuse images, per BBC News.

How Has Meghan Responded to the Allegations?

Meghan confirmed Friday she had been told in 2018 about "disturbing allegations" concerning her father, BBC News reported. "I am deeply distressed... my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed," she said in a statement cited by the outlet. She said the disclosure helped explain why she cut off contact with Markle and does "not allow him to have contact with our children," according to BBC News.

Sources close to the Duchess told BBC News that Meghan cut contact with her father last year, telling him that she and authorities knew he had abused young girls. She warned him in a letter sent while he was hospitalized in the Philippines after a leg amputation that he would never meet his grandchildren, per the report.

What Investigations Are Underway in the Philippines and US?

Philippine officials confirmed to BBC News that the country's anti-human trafficking and child sexual exploitation task force is investigating the allegations. The FBI has said it is aware of the matter, according to the same report. Markle moved to the Philippines last year after a series of strokes and is now reportedly in a Florida rehabilitation center, BBC News reported.

Timeline: Key Dates in the Markle Allegations

• 1975: Markle and Loveless divorce, per BBC News.
• 1979: Markle marries Doria Ragland.
• 1981: Meghan is born.
• 2018: Meghan is told about "disturbing allegations," she says, and becomes estranged from her father.
• 2019: Loveless's letter reaches the Metropolitan Police, which shares it with the Sussexes.
• 2025 (last year): Meghan cuts remaining contact with Markle, sources tell BBC News.
• July 2025: Markle Jr. contacts the FBI.
• This month: Markle Jr. speaks to the Sun; Meghan issues her public statement; the Met says it is reviewing its handling of the file.