Six retired police officers have been charged with criminal offenses in Britain over "grossly offensive racist messages," sent in a WhatsApp group between 2018 and 2022—a number of which reportedly referenced Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police on Tuesday detailed that the men—all in their sixties—had each served time in the Diplomatic Protection Group (since renamed the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command), which deploys officers to protect government buildings, embassies and residences, including the prime ministerial residence of 10 Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster, where parliament sits.
The group were arrested following an investigation prompted by a 2022 expose by the BBC's Newsnight program.
According to the broadcaster, the offensive messages—which were sent after those charged had left the police force—referenced a number of subjects including the U.K. government's controversial plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda and devastating flooding in Pakistan.
The BBC also reported that: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also featured in several images alongside racist language." The exact content of the messages has not been revealed.
This is not the first time that Harry and Meghan have been the subject of racist messages exchanged by police officers.
In 2022, two officers from the Metropolitan Police's Forensic Services department were fired after WhatsApp messages with a former colleague were investigated, revealing several of a racist nature, including one sent at the time of Harry and Meghan's 2018 royal wedding.
The message contained a photograph meme of a "golliwog" toy—one of the most notable racist caricatures in Britain—captioned: "A sneak preview at Meghan's wedding dress."
Both Harry and Meghan have spoken out about the alleged racism faced by the duchess from the U.K. tabloid media since their relationship was first made public in 2016.
During a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the couple spotlighted the issue of prejudice within the royal family itself when they revealed that an unnamed member had made racially insensitive comments about the skin color of their future children. Harry later described this as an example of "unconscious bias."
In another interview with Winfrey for the docuseries The Me You Can't See, he described his regret at not speaking out more forcefully against the racism faced by Meghan sooner.
"My biggest regret is not making more of a stance earlier on in the relationship with my wife in calling out the racism when I did," he said. "History was repeating itself. My mother [Princess Diana] was chased to her death while she was in a relationship with someone that wasn't white and now look what's happened. You want to talk about history repeating itself? They're not going to stop until [Meghan] dies."
A statement from the Metropolitan Police on Tuesday named the six ex-police officers who have been charged under the Communications Act of 2003, following the investigation into their racist messages.
Peter Booth, 66, has been charged with four counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages; Robert Lewis, 62, with eight counts; Anthony Elsom, 67, with three counts; Alan Hall, 65, with three counts; Michael Chadwell, 62, with one count; and Trevor Lewton, 65, with one count.
In the statement, Commander James Harman, leader of the Metropolitan Police's Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command, said of the outcome: "As soon as we were made aware of these allegations we acted to launch an investigation. I am pleased that following the determined work of officers we have been able to secure these charges.
"We are working relentlessly to rebuild the trust of the public which has understandably been dented by a number of high profile incidents and investigations in recent years which have involved officers or former officers."
"The honest majority of Met officers are fully behind this work," he continued. "They are tired of being let down by a minority in policing and they are aware of the damage poor behaviour can do to our relationship with the communities we serve.
"I recognise announcements about the outcome of our investigations may have the potential to cause further public concern, but I hope it demonstrates our absolute commitment to investigate any corrupt and abusive behaviour from the Met.
"I hope the public will recognise that we are determined to take the necessary measures to investigate any wrongdoing wherever we find it."
Newsweek approached representatives of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
