London's Metropolitan Police confirmed this weekend that they received a letter years ago containing a "number of claims" against Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex — and that officers never shared it with other law enforcement agencies.

The disclosure follows a report from the British tabloid The Sun that Markle, 81, is under investigation in the Philippines over alleged possession of child sexual abuse material, which the paper said was reported to authorities by Markle's own son, Thomas Markle Jr., after he said he found such material in storage boxes at his father's home. Markle has denied the allegations through his representatives.

A decade of distance

Meghan issued a statement saying she was "deeply distressed" by the reports and that she has known about the allegations since 2018, when she says they were shared with both the Met and the royal family's protection unit. A Scotland Yard spokesperson told CBS News the letter actually arrived in 2019 — a discrepancy a spokesperson for the Duchess chalked up to "an understandable consequence of that passage of time."

"DEEPLY DISTRESSED."

Whatever the exact date, the Met says the letter was passed along only to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "for their awareness" — not to any outside investigators — and that the force will now review how it handled the matter in 2019, including whether to refer itself to the police watchdog.

Markle has been estranged from his daughter for years, and Meghan has said keeping distance from him — and keeping him away from her children with Prince Harry — was about protecting her kids. The timing is awkward: Meghan and Harry recently relocated back to Britain with their children, a move that's put the famously private family back under a very public microscope.

What's next: The Met's internal review is ongoing, with no timeline announced for its conclusions. The Philippine investigation into Markle also remains active, with no charges filed as of this weekend.