London police confirm 2019 letter regarding Meghan Markle's father

London's Metropolitan Police confirmed on Saturday that it received a letter in 2019 containing claims about Thomas Markle.

A spokesperson for Scotland Yard told CBS News that the document was forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. Police noted that the specific details of the allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.

The confirmation arrives after reports surfaced this week that Thomas Markle Jr., the son of Thomas Markle, reported his father to authorities in the Philippines. The younger Markle allegedly found child abuse materials in storage boxes at the family home in the Philippines. Authorities there are currently dealing with the senior Markle over alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials.

The Daily Mail reported on Friday that Markle denied the allegations. In a statement sent to CBS News on Friday, Meghan said she was deeply distressed by the reports. She stated that she had known of the allegations since 2018 and that they had been shared with U.K. authorities at that time.

Meghan explained that she kept her distance from her father to protect her children. She said she hoped it could now be understood that her decision to limit contact had one reason: to protect them. She added that this decision occurred despite what she described as certain media publications' distortion over the years.

The accounts differ on the date of the letter. Meghan referred to 2018, while Scotland Yard confirmed receiving it in 2019. A spokesman for the duchess addressed this discrepancy in comments to BBC News. He described the difference of a few months as an understandable consequence of the passage of time.

The Met said it will review how the matter was handled in 2019. As part of that process, the force will decide whether to refer itself to the police watchdog.