Hayley Dixon
London: Thomas Markle’s ex-wife was the author of a letter to the UK’s Metropolitan Police that accused him of being a paedophile.
The Duchess of Sussex’s father was accused of child sex offences in a letter sent to the force in 2019, which it admitted it did not act on.
The letter, a copy of which has been seen by The Telegraph, was sent by Roslyn Loveless, who was married to Markle from 1964 to 1975 and is the mother of Samantha and Thomas, the Duchess’s half-siblings.
Scotland Yard said it had been sent a letter in 2019 “containing a number of claims about alleged offending” outside its British jurisdiction, but it had not shared the letter with any overseas authorities.
The force is considering whether to report itself to the regulator for its handling of the letter, which was shared with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the time.
As first reported by the New York Post, Loveless, who died in 2024, wrote the letter in 2019.
In the letter, she wrote that Markle had allegedly told her he went to the Philippines and Thailand “because 12-year-olds are legal there”. Markle has denied all the allegations against him, and said that he has never had sex with anyone under the age of 18.
Just after Prince Archie was born, Loveless gave a rare interview in which she said that Markle was an “awful father” and should not be allowed to see his grandson.
The couple divorced in 1975, four years before Markle married Doria Ragland, the Duchess’s mother.
It emerged last week that police in the Philippines were investigating Markle, 82, for allegedly possessing “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sexual abuse images found in recent months.
His son, Thomas Jr, is said to have handed a dossier of evidence to the Philippine authorities.
On Sunday, the Philippines’ interior minister Jonvic Remulla said it appeared Markle was a “sex offender of the grossest kind”, although further forensic analysis was needed to be definitive.
He confirmed Philippine police were investigating a laptop found alongside images of child abuse at the former home of Markle.
Remulla said the country planned to take “appropriate legal actions” against Markle if sufficient evidence was found.
Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “In these cases where family disputes are mixed up, we have to consider all the angles. Right now all signs point to a possible sex offender of the grossest kind.
“We want to be sure before we release the findings. The forensic data will be complete in a week.”
Since news of the claims against Markle broke, the Duchess has confirmed that she had been aware of separate allegations since January 2019, when the Met passed her a letter containing “troubling and disturbing” information about her father.
The Met said the letter contained “a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom”, which was sent to the royal protection team “to raise concerns in relation to the security of the Duchess of Sussex”.
They decided to share it with the Duke and Duchess, but “details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies”.
It is understood that the Duchess was told not to discuss the letter and had believed that it was being investigated.
Thomas Markle Sr has strenuously denied all the allegations against him, telling the Mail On Sunday: “I have never had sex with anyone under the age of 18.”
It has emerged that when the Duchess wrote to her father while he was in hospital last year, she accused him of being unsafe around children, saying he would never be permitted to meet her own and urging him to seek professional help.
In an interview this week, Markle, who has had a leg amputated and has dementia, said: “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. I am an innocent man and she gave me no chance to defend myself. I have been asking to see my grandchildren before I die.
“If she saw this awful letter … why did she not contact me or send someone to speak to me?
“She has the power to send the police or FBI. Why wait eight years? Why cut me off for a letter which contains lies and not let me defend myself?”
The FBI said it was “aware of the allegations and will provide support, as appropriate, to the Philippine authorities”.
“We will also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of US law,” a spokesman added.
Samantha Markle, 61, came out in defence of her father on Sunday, telling The Daily Mail that if her mother sent the letter to the police it was out of “hatred and bitterness”.
She described her as a chronic alcoholic who was violent and abusive, adding: “If my mother wrote that letter then she should not be considered credible.
“She was bitter that Dad left her and had a successful career in Hollywood. There was a lot of hatred and bitterness there,” she said.
“She never ever once mentioned to me that she thought Dad was a paedophile.”
Thomas Markle Sr said that he did not believe his ex-wife had written the letter, describing it as a “set-up”.
Telegraph, London
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.
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