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Six former Metropolitan Police Service officers are facing charges over a number of racist messages they allegedly exchanged about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
On Tuesday (August 15), Met Police said ex-officers Peter Booth, Robert Lewis, Anthony Elsom, Alan Hall, Michael Chadwell, and Trevor Lewton have been charged under the Communications Act 2003 over messages allegedly sent in a WhatsApp group from August 2018 to September 2022, per People.
The alleged messages were uncovered through reporting by BBC in October 2022.
“Some of the posts referenced the government's Rwanda policy, while others joked about recent flooding in Pakistan, which left almost 1,700 people dead. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also featured in several images alongside racist language,” according to BBC.
The exact contents of the messages remain unknown. The six former officers retired between 2011 and 2015, so they were not serving in the police force while the messages were exchanged. The ex-officers previously worked for different branches but at one point they all "spent time" in the Diplomatic Protection Group, which is now known as the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.
The six men are expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Sept. 7.
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