Meghan Markle’s brother accused of the ‘ultimate betrayal’ after unloading vile rants on YouTube dressed in a wig with cushion stuffed up his jumper introducing himself as ‘Me-gain’
Meghan Markle‘s brother has been condemned for appearing to mock her in a series of YouTube video rants – dressing up with a cushion stuffed inside his jumper and calling himself ‘Me-gain’.
Thomas Markle Jr, 57, has fired off a series of insults and conspiracy theories in clips targeting his estranged half-sister, the Duchess of Sussex.
He is seen in one seeming to put a cushion up his top while wearing a wig and tiara and ridiculing the duchess.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond slammed the videos as ‘grotesque’ and accused him of committing ‘the ultimate betrayal’.
And an ex-government minister has also called for tougher action by internet firms to combat ‘campaigns of harassment and intimidation’.
The Duchess of Sussex’s estranged half-brother Thomas Markle Jr has targeted her online
Harry and Meghan have been attending a charity fundraiser polo event in Florida this weekend
Thomas Markle Jr, 57, has reportedly not spoken with Meghan for more than a decade
The duchess, 42, has reportedly not spoken to her brother for more than a decade.
He has set up his own YouTube page showcasing regular videos and live streams in which he rants about Meghan and the royal family while answering questions from many of his 36,500 subscribers.
The latest video in which he dons a wig and cushion to mock Meghan was posted last Wednesday, though he has dressed up similarly in previous footage.
He describes himself as ‘Me-gain’, a disparaging nickname internet trolls have aimed at the duchess.
Mr Markle has also suggested plans to bring out his own range of merchandise such as glasses, mugs and T-shirts, the Sunday Mirror reported.
He addresses the camera as if in a dialogue with the duchess, raging: ‘It’s not just your freedom of speech, Meghan, it’s everybody’s freedom of speech.
‘So if you don’t like it, don’t watch, right? I’m gonna be riding those coat-tails, baby – oh, yeah, if it wasn’t for Meghan Markle I don’t know what I’d be doing.’
Journalist and royal family expert Bond responded by saying: ‘To have your own flesh and blood lead the assault must feel like the ultimate betrayal for Meghan.’
Conservative MP and ex-tech and the digital economy minister Damian Collins said: ‘The major social media companies must do more to combat harmful content on their platforms, including campaigns of harassment and intimidation.
‘They have created systems that have not only allowed conspiracy theories to thrive, but are actively promoted by the recommendation systems designed by these big tech companies.’
The latest barbs by Thomas come as Meghan was seen in Palm Beach this weekend alongside husband Harry, 39, filming his new Netflix show about the world of polo.
The pair were the main attraction as they attended a charity game at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Miami, Florida – though there was one potentially awkward moment when she asked a woman not to pose next to Harry for a picture.
Thomas Markle Jr was seen putting a cushion up his shirt at the start of one of his videos
He has previously revealed how he wrote to Prince Harry ahead of the couple’s 2018 wedding
Harry and Meghan married in Windsor on May 19, 2018
The event raised funds for the Sentebale charity which Harry co-founded in 2006 to help children with HIV in Africa.
A camera crew followed the couple’s every move as Harry scored a goal then stepped up to podium to receive a trophy as well as a kiss from his wife.
This is not the first time her half-brother has caused controversy.
Ahead of the duke and duchess’s wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018, Thomas sent Harry a letter telling him it was not ‘too late’ to back out of marrying her – describing his sister as ‘obviously not the right woman for you’.
Thomas slammed the American actress, insisting she was a ‘jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage’.
He wrote telling Harry: ‘As more time passes to your royal wedding, it became very clear that this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history.
‘Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you. I’m confused why you don’t see the real Meghan that the whole world now sees.
He also took part in 2021 in a Big Brother VIP Australia series in which he told fellow contestants about warning Harry his ‘very shallow’ sister would ‘ruin’ his life and had abandoned her ‘own flesh and blood’.
Yet later in the show’s run he was filmed writing a second letter in which he apologised to the couple for his ‘harsh’ words.
Reading the note aloud on screen, he said: ‘Dear Meghan and Harry, the first thing I want to say to both of you is that I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart for the awful mean letter that I wrote to you prior to your wedding.
‘And I want both of you to know it did not come from the real person that I am, but came from a very dark and hurt part of my heart.
‘I am not a mean person at all and I have more love inside me to give than anything.’
Big Brother VIP star Thomas Markle Jr apologised to estranged half-sister Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in a second letter he penned during the 2021 TV series
Thomas claimed at the time his previous harsh words ‘came from a very dark and hurt part’ of his heart, while insisting he was ‘not a mean person at all’
Thomas and Meghan are pictured in childhood todays, before becoming estranged as adults
Thomas went on to say the first despatch to Harry was written out of ‘hurt’ after Meghan had described him as ‘distant family’.
He said: ‘The letter was definitely written out of me feeling like really hurt and confused when I was informed of your response that I was distant family and that you did not know those people.
‘I was very hurt and confused because of the amazing bond and relationship we shared growing up together and all I could do was put up a defence wall to protect my heart.
‘I know that it was very immature and wrong and I truly regret it. When your relationship with Harry became known to the world, my life then became public.
‘I along with everyone in our family became public figures overnight. No more privacy. And let me tell you it was very, very stressful to have to deal with all alone and no help at all.
‘A real nightmare and constant pressure. I wish I could turn back the clock and do it all over, knowing what I know now.’
Meanwhile, Harry has made £22million ($27million) from his contentious memoir Spare despite it only being out in hardback, fellow bestselling author Richard Osman last week claimed.
The Duke of Sussex’s tell-all became the UK’s fastest-selling non-fiction book ever after being published by Penguin Random House in January last year.
Harry was understood to have clinched a £16million ($20million) advance as part of a £32million ($40million) four-book deal in June 2021 after a bidding war.
The 39-year-old royal’s headline-grabbing book saw him accuse his brother Prince William of pushing him into a dog bowl in a row over his wife Meghan Markle.
It also claimed William teased Harry about his panic attacks, that King Charles put his own interests above his second son and saw Harry reference taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms and his enjoyment of the TV show Friends.
Meghan Markle was seen congratulating her husband Prince Harry with a passionate kiss after he won a charity polo match in Miami on Friday
Meghan joined her husband’s team as they celebrated their victory
The couple had arrived hand-in-hand at the event on Friday which raised money for Sentebale, a charity co-founded by Harry to support children in Lesotho and Botswana
And speaking on a new episode of his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, Osman said: ‘I think – and his book has not come out in paperback yet, so this book is purely hardback – I reckon he’s made $26, $27million.
‘So he’s earned out an advance of $20million on the hardback of his first book alone. Forget rights to other things and audiobooks and what have you – he has earned that out already.
‘When the paperback comes out, it’s just money rolling into the Sussexes.’
MailOnline has contacted representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment on her half-brother’s YouTube rants.