Meghan Markle.Photo: TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty
Meghan Markle’s life in London wasn’t exactly a fairytale.
In a new interview with Channel 4 News, the former head of counterterrorism for the Metropolitan Police said that there were genuine threats to the Duchess of Sussex’s life while she lived in the U.K.
Neil Basu opened up about the alarming allegations amid his resignation as Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations for the Met Police in an interview released Tuesday. Basu, 54, is leaving the force after 30 years, during which he earned the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service and served as the senior-most officer for the counterterrorism unit of the Met Police starting in March 2018 — two months before Meghan andPrince Harry’s royal wedding.
“You were in charge of royal protection. How would you characterize the threats that Meghan and Harry received?” journalist Cathy Newman asked in a quick clip shared onTwitter.
“Well, disgusting and very real,” Basu replied, calling extreme right-wing terrorism the “fast-growing threat” to the country.
“But there were many serious, credible threats against Meghan, were there? Emanating from the far-right?” Newman chimed in.
“Absolutely, and if you’d seen the stuff that was written and you were receiving it… the kind of rhetoric that’s online, if you don’t know what I know, you would feel under threat all of the time,” he replied.
When asked if the Duchess of Sussex’s life was genuinely threatened more than once, Basu had a frightening reply.
“Absolutely. We had teams investigating it. People have been prosecuted for those threats,” he said.
Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty
Basu was the senior-most officer of color in the Met Police and said elsewhere in the Channel 4 interview that he was turned down from running the National Crime Agency because of his outspoken views on diversity and inclusion,The Guardianreported.
In July,Prince Harrywon the right to challenge the status of the U.K. security arrangements put in place following his and Meghan’sdecision to step backfrom their senior royal roles. They then relocated to Meghan’s home state of California.
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The decision means that the legal action will now proceed to a full hearing at the High Court in London between Harry and the U.K. government — an unprecedented situation in modern times.
Prince Harry’s legal team has previously stated that the print “does not feel safe” bringing childrenArchie, 3, andLilibet, 1, to the U.K. under this arrangement because his U.S. security team does not have jurisdiction in the U.K. or access to U.K. government intelligence.
In August, Harry filed a second lawsuit looking at the decision that people are not allowed to privately fund their own security, an offer that the Duke of Sussex allegedly made and was refused.
source: people.com
