Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said she is "deeply distressed" by the news that her father, Thomas Markle, is under investigation over claims he possessed images containing child sexual abuse in his home.
The images were reportedly found in his home in the Philippines after he returned to the U.S. in May, Philippine officials said.
Thomas Markle denied the allegations, calling them "sick lies" and "the worst thing anyone could accuse me of."
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed Saturday that it received a letter in January 2019 containing “a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom,” the BBC reported. The letter was sent to the force’s protection command because of concerns about the duchess’s security.
The Met said it passed the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “for their awareness,” but did not share the details with other law enforcement agencies. The force said it is reviewing how it handled the matter and considering whether to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the police watchdog.
In a statement through her spokesperson, Meghan Markle said that she is "deeply distressed" by the news, and that she was first made aware of the claims by the Met Police in 2018.
"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," Meghan's statement said. "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."
Meghan had said the letter was sent in 2018. A spokesman for the duchess said Saturday that “any discrepancy of a few months” was “an understandable consequence of that passage of time.”
Authorities in the Philippines are also investigating. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said national police had secured Markle’s computer for a forensic examination, the BBC reported.
The allegations, reported by Mail Online, said Thomas Markle is under investigation after being reported by his son, Thomas Markle Jr.
In a statement to Mail Online, the elder Markle 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.”
He added: "It's just a bunch of lies. It's sick. I have no idea why Tom [Markle] is trying to destroy me with these lies."
Yahoo has contacted the Met Office and authorities in the U.S. and the Philippines for comment.
This article originally appeared on Yahoo News at https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/article/met-police-says-it-received-2019-letter-with-claims-about-meghans-father-but-didnt-share-it-with-other-agencies-163535130.html