UPDATE: Receipt of 2019 letter alleging offending outside the UK

Commander Adam Slonecki, who leads the Metropolitan Police’s Protection Command, said:

“In January 2019, the Met received a letter addressed to our Protection Command, specifically the Fixated Threats Assessment Centre.

“The author of the letter suggested they were writing to raise concerns relating to the security of the Duchess of Sussex. While the letter did not actually contain any information specifically related to security matters, it did contain a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom.

“The letter was assessed and subsequently passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies.

“In recent days, the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has carried out an initial review into our actions following receipt of the letter in 2019.

“Following that review, a voluntary referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in respect of the decision not to inform other law enforcement agencies and the decision to pass the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

“In addition, it is our intention to make a number of referrals to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies in relation to the allegations contained within the letter. That process is underway and will be completed in the coming days.”