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Met Police Refers Themselves to Watchdog Over 2019 Letter

By Drooid · Oct 29, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

Metropolitan Police referred themselves to the watchdog over handling a 2019 child-sex-offence allegation letter.
Roslyn Loveless, Thomas Markle Sr.’s late wife, gave the letter to Meghan in January 2019.
The letter alleged Thomas Markle Sr. committed offences in the United States, the Philippines and Thailand.
The Met failed to share the letter with the FBI, Philippine police or Thai authorities.
Meghan Markle said she was upset after being told the allegations were under investigation.

History

In 1999 the Metropolitan Police launched Operation Ore after a U.S. tip, targeting users of the Landslide child-pornography site and identifying 7,250 suspects. The probe relied on data shared with the FBI, but later investigations revealed thousands of credit-card fraud cases and wrongful arrests, prompting criticism from journalists and courts. These flaws have driven calls for an international child-protection protocol.

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In 1999 the Metropolitan Police launched Operation Ore after a U.S. tip, targeting users of the Landslide child-pornography site and identifying 7,250 suspects. The probe relied on data shared with the FBI, but later investigations revealed thousands of credit-card fraud cases and wrongful arrests, prompting criticism from journalists and courts. These flaws have driven calls for an international child-protection protocol.

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