The Metropolitan Police was forced to ask the duchess of Sussex for a copy of the letter it had sent her notifying her of serious allegations against her fathe r after the force misplaced its own copy, it has been reported.

Police received the tip about Thomas Markle ’s alleged offending outside the UK in January 2019 and passed the letter on to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex .

But after recent allegations came to light over claims child sex abuse material was found at Mr Markle’s house in the Philippines, The Times reports the force had not only failed to act on the tip-off, but had also been unable to locate the original letter.

The duchess of Sussex has been largely estranged from her father since 2018 (Instagram)

The duchess had kept her copy and was able to share it with police, it was reported.

It comes after the force admitted it did not pass the letter to other law enforcement agencies, adding it was now “reviewing its handling” of the matter.

In a statement, Scotland Yard said:…