Meghan Markle wanted to go public after she was made aware of child sex abuse claims against her father but the Metropolitan Police's royal bodyguards advised her not to, it is claimed.
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it → want → her
The revelation comes after Scotland Yard confirmed it handed the Duchess of Sussex, 45, a letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle, 82, in January 2019, but failed to alert other law enforcement agencies.
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it → come → agencies
In the seven-page letter, Markle's first wife Roslyn Loveless accused the former Hollywood lighting technician of child sex abuse and said he regularly travelled to the Philippines and Thailand because he claimed '12-year-olds are legal there'.
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olds → accuse → Philippines
The handwritten letter from Loveless, who died in 2024, was assessed by the Met's royal protection team, before it was passed on to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Kensington Palace for 'awareness'.
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it → die → awareness
It has now emerged that Meghan wanted to speak out about the allegations, which she last week described as 'troubling and disturbing'.
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she → emerge → which
However, one of her Royalty and Specialist Protection [RaSP] bodyguards reportedly told her: 'Leave it with us, we'll investigate it.'
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we → tell → it
The same officer reportedly advised Meghan not to go public at a time she was being criticised for cutting ties with her father without any explanation, who did not attend the Sussexes' wedding in 2018.
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who → advise → 2018
The Met, who did not did not investigate any of the allegations against Markle due to them taking place abroad, are still trying to identify and find the officer in question, The Times reports.
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Times → investigate → question
The Duchess of Sussex said last week that claims Thomas Markle was a child sex abuser were passed onto her after a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police in January 2019
Pictured: Thomas Markle on a bed and with his arm wrapped around a young woman, both fully clothed.
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both → say → woman
She appears, alone and naked, in several other pictures as well
Although Harry and Meghan's bodyguards were aware of the serious allegations, many of the Sussexes' closest advisors at Kensington Palace at the time were reportedly kept in the dark.
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many → appear → dark
This included Samantha Cohen, a former aide to Queen Elizabeth II who was the Sussexes' private secretary and Jason Knauf, who was joint communications secretary to both Harry and Meghan and William and Kate.
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who → include → Harry
One source said that Harry and Meghan were 'very private and tended not to share stuff with others'.
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Harry → say → others
At the same time, aides close to the King, the then Prince of Wales, are also thought to have been kept in the dark.
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aides → think → dark
On Saturday, a source within the Met said it appeared as though the RaSP officers who assessed the 2019 letter had failed to understand the significance of the allegations and failed to refer it up the chain of command.
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who → say → command
The source said: 'These people are not detectives and have a tendency to be quite linear in their thinking.
'RaSP would only have been interested in what it meant for the security of the Duke and Duchess [of Sussex].
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it → say → Sussex
Having assessed that, they should have thought about the wider consequences.
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they → assess → consequences
The Met has faced questions as to why it did not alert international agencies, including the FBI.
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it → face → FBI
The force has referred itself to the police watchdog over its 'failure to pass on allegations of serious offending... to relevant overseas authorities at the time'.
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force → refer → time
The revelation comes as police on Saturday seized child pornography from Thomas Markle's abandoned storage unit after being alerted by the Daily Mail.
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police → come → Mail
Sex crimes investigators and forensic experts swooped on the vault near Markle's former home in Mexico at just after midnight.
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investigators → swoop → midnight
One agent is said to have recoiled, saying 'Ay cabron' - a Spanish expression meaning 'oh, damn' - as he examined the material.
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he → say → material
It has been revealed that Meghan was advised not to go public after she was made aware of the allegations against her father in January 2019
Pictured: Jason Knauf, who was previously joint communications secretary to both Harry and Meghan and William and Kate, was not made aware of the 2019 letter
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who → reveal → letter
The material seized includes magazines showing children being sexually abused and photographs of naked young Asian females.
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material → seize → females
Our reporters uncovered the hoard last Thursday after travelling to Rosarito, where the Duchess of Sussex's estranged father lived for a decade.
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father → uncover → decade
Receipts confirmed that he leased the 5ft by 10ft space in 2017.
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he → confirm → 2017
According to the search warrant, investigators were authorised by a judge to look for 'evidence consisting of child sexual abuse material' and 'the alleged commission of the crime of human trafficking in its aggravated form'.
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investigators → accord → form
After seizing a computer, thumb drives, VHS tapes and magazines, they sealed the unit with an official notice.
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they → seize → notice
The raid on Baja Storage, a gated storage depot, came after the Daily Mail warned authorities that Unit 22 contained child sex abuse images.
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Unit → gate → images
Hours earlier, the Mail photographed Markle being pushed between care homes in Lakeland, Florida, in a wheelchair.
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Markle → photograph → wheelchair
Markle, who has had a leg amputated and been diagnosed with a cognitive illness, was accompanied by daughter Samantha and her boyfriend Mark Phillips.
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leg → have → Samantha
Our reporters learnt about the container last week.
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reporters → learn → container
The 82-year-old fell behind on the rent for the storage space two years ago and moved to the Philippines early last year without emptying it.
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old → fall → it
Baja Storage's staff knew nothing about the cache and were disgusted by its discovery.
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staff → know → discovery
The lockup also contained old computers and a paper plate with the words 'DARK WEB' scribbled in red ink alongside various URLs.
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lockup → contain → URLs
The Daily Mail was able to access Markle's storage locker after he failed to keep up his rental payments.
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he → access → payments
Its contents included photos of Asian females who appeared to be conspicuously young and books as well as magazines that sexualized children as 'Lolitas'
Mexican Guardia Nacional sex crimes investigators are seen raiding Thomas Markle's storage locker in Rosarito on Saturday morning, hours after the Daily Mail reported that it contained child pornography
A grim-faced official with the Mexican Guardia Nacional totes a cardboard box during Saturday's raid at Thomas Markle's storage facility
FBI agents working in Tampa - close to the senior-living residence where Markle is staying in Florida after having his left leg amputated in December - are among those working on the case.
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leg → include → case
Also involved are southern California-based FBI officials.
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officials → involve → ?
According to the warrant obtained by the Daily Mail, Mexican state prosecutors asked Judge Estefany Moreno Gutierrez of the Judicial Branch of Baja California to sign off on a search warrant at a closed court hearing on Friday.
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prosecutors → accord → Friday
At around 4pm on Friday a small group of uniformed officers arrived at the depot and asked to speak to the owner.
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group → arrive → owner
As the evening wore on, more officers arrived from Mexico's State Investigation Agency while soldiers from the Mexican National Guard were posted outside.
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soldiers → wear → Guard
…and 20 more, not listed.
The Aporia
