LONDON: London`s Metropolitan Police confirmed on Saturday it had received a letter in 2019 about a `number of claims` relating to the father of Prince Harry`s wife Meghan Markle.

The force said it passed on the information to the royal couple but did not share it with other law enforcement agencies. Meghan said that she was `deeply distressed` by accusations that her father Thomas Markle had possessed images of child abuse, adding she had blocked contact between him and her children over previous `troubling and disturbing` allegations.

The Sun and Daily Mail newspapers reported that images had allegedly been found among Markle`s belongings at his former home in the Philippines. He denies all the claims.

Meghan, 45, also said that in 2018 she had seen a letter sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection making similar accusations.

The Met said in a statement that it had in January 2019 `received a letter containing a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom`.

`The letter was reviewed and a decision was made that it should be passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness,` said a spokesperson, using Harry and Meghan`s official titles.

In her comments on Friday, Meghan said she `was given assurances` that the allegations against her father `were being investigated`. However, a source close to the matter said police were not investigating the matter.

The police statement said that `the details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforeement agencies`. It added that the force was reviewing its handling of the matter, including whether it should call in the police watchdog. Thomas Markle, who is now reportedly in a rehab centre in Florida, told the Daily Mail tabloid the allegations against him were `sick lies`.-AFP