Met Police Probe 2018 Letter Passed to Meghan on Thomas Markle Allegations

Q: What digital evidence led Philippine authorities and the FBI to seize Thomas Markle's computer years after the initial allegations surfaced?

Philippine authorities and the FBI moved on Thomas Markle’s computer after his son, Thomas Markle Jr., said he discovered suspected child sexual abuse material on old digital devices left at Markle’s former home in Cebu. According to the reporting, the trigger was an abandoned LG phone that allegedly displayed disturbing material when Thomas Jr. switched it on while going through stored belongings. He then said he checked four boxes of devices and media, including mobile phones, computer hard drives and a desktop computer, and claimed he found “hundreds, if not thousands” of images and videos. He also reportedly enlisted an IT specialist to access three hard drives. The material he described allegedly included thumbnail links to abuse files on a computer desktop, as well as further files on the drives and phones. Some reports said the files were mixed in with Thomas Markle Sr.’s personal and professional documents, which investigators would likely view as relevant to ownership and attribution. That claimed digital trail — the phone contents, the hard drives, the desktop thumbnails and the boxes of stored devices — was what led Philippine police to secure the computer for forensic examination and prompted FBI involvement after Thomas Jr. said he had filed reports with the FBI hotline and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The allegations remain unproven, and Thomas Markle Sr. has strongly denied them.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Oct 24

Scotland Yard is investigating whether its Royalty and Specialist Protection Command passed Meghan a 2018 letter containing allegations about her father, Thomas Markle.
The Met said the inquiry is internal and aimed at confirming the letter was shared with the Duchess, not at investigating Markle himself, who is in the US and denies the allegations.
Meghan said the letter described "disturbing allegations" and that she was assured in 2018 they were being investigated; she said that is why she kept her father away from her children.
Philippine authorities are separately examining alleged child sexual abuse images reportedly found in Markle's former home, with forensic results on a seized computer expected within a week and the FBI offering support.