The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it is not investigating Thomas Markle after the Duchess of Sussex claimed “disturbing allegations” about her father were passed to the force eight years ago.

Meghan said on Friday that she was shown a letter sent to Scotland Yard in 2018, that made “troubling” claims against her father and she was assured these were being investigated.

It comes after her half brother, Thomas Markle Jr, alleged he had found a hoard of child sex abuse images belonging to their father at his former home in the Philippines.

The force said it was now carrying out internal inquiries to confirm officers from the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command unit, which provides armed personal security to members of the royal family and secures official residences, passed on the letter to the Duchess.

It is understood the letter sent to the Met Police was shared with Meghan in the summer of 2018, after her wedding to Prince Harry.

It is unclear what the nature of the allegations in 2018 were and whether they are linked to the accusations raised by his son now.

In a statement released on Friday addressing the claims, Meghan said: “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.

“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me.

“It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.

“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.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of media reports that officers from the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command were involved in the passing on of a letter in 2018. We are undertaking inquiries internally in an effort to confirm this.”

In an interview with the , Mr Markle denied the claims against him.

He said: “I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.

“This is bulls***. It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”

Thomas Sr’s eldest daughter Samantha Markle has defended her father and accused Thomas Jr of “making up lies” to make money.

She told the “There is no merit in these disgusting allegations whatsoever and my brother is disgusting for making them up. He wants to destroy our dad. Shame on him.

“My brother first came out with these lies days after the cash from my dad was cut off. He has used dad as a cash cow for years and once the money stopped he made up the most outrageous lies he could to make money from the media.

“Those computers were out of dad’s possession for two years. That leaves a lot of room for tampering. These are unsubstantiated allegations. Anyone could have been in contact with those computers over the past couple of years.

“Dad did not have access to these computers. Anyone could have set dad up.”

Meghan has been estranged from her father since the weeks leading up to her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry at Windsor Castle, after he was caught staging paparazzi photographs.

He did not attend the couple’s wedding due to poor health, leaving King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, to accompany Meghan down the aisle.

In 2021, Meghan won a High Court privacy and copyright claim against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over articles that reproduced parts of a “personal and private” handwritten letter she wrote to Mr Markle in a bid to get him to stop talking to the press.

She penned the emotional five-page letter to him in August 2018 after taking advice from two unnamed senior royals.

In 2025, Mr Markle moved to the Philippines for a new life after suffering a series of strokes.Then, in December of that year he had his leg amputated during life-saving surgery.

Meghan “reached out” to him in the aftermath of the operation, a spokesperson for the duchess revealed, with Meghan also said to have tried to do so previously.

He is reportedly now living in a rehab centre in Florida, where he is learning to walk again.

Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.