Senior British police officer reveals ‘serious, credible threats’ Meghan Markle faced in UK

One of Britain’s top cops has revealed Meghan was targeted with “disgusting” threats against her life while she and Prince Harry were UK-based.

A senior British police officer has opened up about the “disgusting” threats Meghan Markle received from the “extreme far right” that had the Duchess regularly fearing for her life.

It comes after Prince Harry has cited racism and fears his wife would face the same tragic fate as his mother as the driving force behind their decision to leave the UK.

Speaking to Channel 4 News in the UK, Neil Basu, the former head of counter-terrorism for the Met Police, described the threats as “very real”.

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Meghan faced ‘serious, credible’ threats against her life while living in the UK, according to Neil Basu. Picture: AFP

“I’ve talking publicly for many years about the threat of extreme right-wing terrorism in this country,” Assistant Commissioner Basu explained when asked whether the hate received was “serious and credible”.

“If you’d seen the stuff that was written, and you were receiving it, the kind of rhetoric that’s online … you would feel under threat all the time,” he said while talking about the kind of abuse Meghan received.

“So you were convinced there was a genuine threat to Meghan’s life on more than one occasion?” reporter Cathy Newman asked.

“We had teams investigating it; people have been prosecuted for those threats.”

"There were many serious, credible threats against Meghan Markle emanating from the far-right?"

"Absolutely."

Former head of counter terrorism for the Met Police, Neil Basu, tells @cathynewman about the "disgusting and very real" threats Prince Harry and Meghan Markle faced. pic.twitter.com/JPqfBFaCDO

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) November 29, 2022

His recollections echo Prince Harry’s past comments about his family’s choice to leave the UK, amid revelations Meghan was suicidal after facing racism from the British public and press, and even allegedly from inside the royal family.

Opening up to Oprah in mental health documentary The Me You Can’t See, Harry recalled the night “Meghan decided to share with me the suicidal thoughts and the practicalities of how she was going to end her life”.

Meghan has opened up in the past about her battle with suicidal thoughts. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

He added elsewhere that he felt “trapped” within the family.

“Eventually when I made that decision for my family, I was still told, ‘You can’t do this.’ And it’s like, ‘Well how bad does it have to get until I am allowed to do this?’” Prince Harry said. “She was going to end her life. It shouldn’t have to get to that.”

Harry went on to draw parallels between the struggles of his mother, Princess Diana, that led to her death, and the struggles of his wife.

“My mother was chased to her death while she was in a relationship with someone who wasn’t white,” he said.

“And now look what’s happened.

“You want to talk about history repeating itself – they’re not going to stop until she dies.”

Harry sat down with Oprah Winfrey on The Me You Can’t See. Picture: Supplied

Diana died in 1997 alongside Egyptian film producer Dodi Al Fayed, who she had been dating for several months.

“It’s incredibly triggering to potentially lose another woman in my life,” the Duke of Sussex said. “The list is growing, and it all comes back to the same people, the same business model, the same industry.”

Meghan first revealed her mental health struggles during her first high-profile Oprah Winfrey interview, claiming she was not supported when she sought help from the family because “it wouldn’t be good for the institution”.

Originally published as Senior British police officer reveals ‘serious, credible threats’ Meghan Markle faced in UK