Two far-right British podcasters who encouraged acts of violence against ethnic minorities as well as making derogatory comments about public figures including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Prince Archie, have been jailed for a total of 15 years.
Christopher Gibbons, 40, and Tyrone Patten-Walsh, 36, were jailed on January 4 after being convicted of committing crimes under the Terrorism Act 2006, between March 2019 and February 2020.
Gibbons and Patten-Walsh were both found guilty on eight counts each of encouraging acts of terrorism, with Gibbons convicted of two additional counts of dissemination of terrorist publications.
Gibbons received an eight-year prison sentence and Patten-Walsh seven years.
The two men from London were arrested in 2021 following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command that focused on material they created, including what the police described as a "neo-Nazi online podcast."
Titled "Black Wolf Radio" the 21-episode chat show contained a number of homophobic, racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic and misogynistic comments, some targeted at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their son.
In June 2022, prosecutor Anne Whyte QC told a London court, per the BBC, that Gibbons had described Prince Archie as an "abomination that should be put down."
Gibbons also claimed that Prince Harry should be "prosecuted and found guilty and judicially killed for treason."
Newsweek approached representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex via email for comment.
Discussing the sentencing, the Met Police's Counter Terrorism Commander, Dominic Murphy, said per a press release that Gibbons and Patten-Walsh's material was "exactly the kind that has the potential to draw vulnerable people—particularly young people—into terrorism."
"We are determined to identify and hold to account individuals pushing this material. In this case, officers reviewed hours-upon-hours of material to present a compelling case," he said. "I hope this case and today's sentencing sends a clear message that there are serious consequences for those who share terrorist material or encourage others to become involved in terrorism."
This is not the first time that illegal acts directed at the Sussex family have featured in police investigations.
In September 2022, five former Met Police officers in London pleaded guilty to committing 19 offenses under the Communications Act 2003, after sending "grossly offensive racist messages" in a WhatsApp group, some of which were found to have referenced Meghan Markle.
This led some to suggest that Harry and Meghan were justified in their decision to leave Britain and raise their family in the U.S.
Chief executive of data analysis firm Bot Sentinel, Christopher Bouzy, previously told Newsweek that the police convictions "lend credence to Prince Harry's expressed concerns for the well-being of his family, reinforcing the legitimacy of their decision to relocate to the United States in search of safety."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly 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.
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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
