Thomas Markle Jr.'s Anti-Meghan Rants Have Royal Experts Calling For Content Crackdown
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, might have left royal life to escape the speculation and harassment from the British tabloids, but she's still getting trolled by attackers much closer to home. Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., has had harsh words for her for years, even going so far as to warn Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, not to marry her in the first place. (Per InTouch Weekly, he wrote the prince a letter in 2018 saying the union would be "the biggest mistake in royal wedding history.") Now, Thomas Jr. has upped the ante with his own YouTube and TikTok accounts that have even royal experts crying foul.
Thomas Jr. launched his TikTok in December 2023 and has been posting ever since. A few, like the one shown here, are mild jibes about the Sussexes' standing with the palace. Others take aim at Meghan's heartbreaking account of her past, slamming her claims of growing up in an unstable broken home with little money. Some are, quite literally, toilet humor. But the majority of the TikToks are vicious personal attacks on her appearance, marriage, sex life, new American Riviera Orchard brand launch and even Meghan's pregnancies. Thomas Jr. claims his sister was never pregnant, but used "moon bump" padding to fool the public.
@therealthomasmarklejr @The Royal Family Channel #royalfamily #meghanmarkle @British Royal Family @realhousewivesrecap #meghanandharry #therealthomasmarkleandfriends #sussexroyal #IstandWithCatherine💕
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The offensive posts prompted former BBC correspondent Jennie Bond to speak out; she told The Mirror, "To have your own flesh and blood lead the assault must feel like the ultimate betrayal for Meghan." The outlet agreed, going one step further to stop the posts.
Thomas Markle Jr. claims his posts are protected
The Mirror, a popular British left-leaning tabloid, published a report regarding Thomas Markle Jr.'s anti-Meghan Markle social media posts. The article notes the editors reported the Markle son's YouTube account, claiming it violates the platform's policy against harassment. YouTube's website states, "We consider content harassment when it targets an individual with prolonged or malicious insults based on intrinsic attributes, including their protected group status or physical traits." Bullying and doxxing are also forbidden.
Though YouTube claims it removes harassing content, Thomas Jr.'s anti-Duchess of Sussex posts are still active as of this writing, including one in which he donned a dark wig and called himself "Me-gain." He fired back by posting a TikTok clip defending his freedom of speech and accusing his half-sister of leading a paid "Sussex Squad" that supposedly harassed his own family, Thomas Jr. added, "My YouTube channel is comedy, parody, not to be taken seriously, for entertainment purposes only. ...If you don't like it, you don't have to watch it, Meghan." On X, formerly known as Twitter, reaction to the controversy has been predictably mixed with some in Meghan's corner and others Team Thomas Jr.
Thomas Jr.'s sister, Samantha Markle, got an icy ending to her defamation lawsuit against Meghan related to public comments the duchess made about not having a close relationship with Samantha. Is Thomas Jr. about to face a similar turn-down, or does YouTube believe his mocking and conspiracy theories are constitutionally protected?