A letter containing allegations about Thomas Markle, the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, was written by his former wife, Roslyn Loveless, the BBC has learned. The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Saturday that it received a letter concerning Markle in 2019, which was subsequently shared with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the time.

These developments come after Meghan confirmed on Friday that she had been informed of disturbing allegations concerning her father. Reports have emerged suggesting that images depicting child sexual abuse were allegedly found in Markle's former home in the Philippines. Thomas Markle, 82, who is based in the United States, has denied all such accusations.

Roslyn Loveless, who is now deceased, was the mother of Meghan's half-siblings, Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle Jr. She divorced Thomas Markle in 1975, prior to his marriage to Doria Ragland, Meghan's mother, in 1979. Meghan Markle was born in 1981.

In a statement released on Friday, Meghan acknowledged the existence of the letter and expressed her distress. She stated her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed and explained her reasons for largely cutting off contact with her father and preventing him from seeing their children. Meghan and her father have been estranged since 2018.

The BBC understands that Meghan last year informed her father that she and authorities were aware of his alleged abuse of young girls. Sources close to the Duchess indicated that Meghan warned Markle in a letter, sent while he was hospitalized in the Philippines after a leg amputation, that he would never meet his grandchildren.

On Friday, Meghan's half-brother claimed to have discovered a collection of images belonging to his father at his former residence in the Philippines. He reportedly informed the police of finding child abuse videos and pictures among the items. He also apologized to Meghan for initially supporting their father during their prolonged estrangement, stating he had been protecting the wrong person.

It is understood that Meghan's half-brother contacted the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) regarding the images in July. The FBI has since confirmed it is aware of the allegations. Officials in the Philippines have also confirmed an investigation into the allegations concerning Markle, with the country's anti-human trafficking and child sexual exploitation task force actively looking into the matter.

Thomas Markle, in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, admitted to paying for sex in the Philippines on previous visits but denied sleeping with underage girls or possessing child abuse images. The Metropolitan Police stated that the contents of the letter shared with the Sussexes were not passed on to other law enforcement agencies and are now reviewing their handling of the case. Markle reportedly moved to the Philippines last year following a series of strokes and is now said to be in a Florida rehabilitation center recovering from his leg amputation.