Meghan nephews caught with knife and pepper spray

‘He is bitter at not being invited’

MEGHAN Markle’s estranged nephews may not have got an invitation to her wedding, but it emerged yesterday that they almost ended up as guests of the Queen … in a very different setting.

Unlike their aunt staying in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Tyler and Thomas Dooley could have faced the prospect of one of Her Majesty’s prisons for possessing an illegal pepper spray and a knife during their weekend in London.

On Saturday night a nightclub bouncer seized a knife from Tyler, 25, who is a cannabis farmer back home in the US.

And when police arrived at the hotel where he and his family were staying on Sunday morning, they found his brother Thomas, 26, had an illegal pepper spray.

Officers confiscated the weapons and issued warnings to both brothers, who are said to have admitted bringing them through customs. They left the country yesterday.

The nephews – sons of the new Duchess of Sussex’s estranged half-brother Thomas Markle Jnr – arrived in Britain last Tuesday with their mother, Meghan’s former sister-in-law Tracy Dooley, and Tyler’s girlfriend Sandra Bazan.

They were originally due to appear on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday and yesterday morning to discuss the nuptials. But the TV company got cold feet after publicity about Meghan’s father Thomas Snr collaborating with photographers to pose for pictures, before health problems forced him to cancel his plans to attend the wedding to give his daughter away.

After a day’s sightseeing and a short stay at a hotel in Waterloo, central London, the Dooleys moved to the Hilton DoubleTree in Kingston, South-West London.

The family – who had brought promotional stickers with them for Tyler’s opportunistic ‘Markle Sparkle’ brand of cannabis – were advised to keep a low profile.

They celebrated the wedding at their hotel before Tyler and Miss Bazan went to Kingston’s Bacchus nightclub at midnight on Saturday. When they were searched on the way in, Tyler admitted having a knife on him and handed it in.

But when he was warned by other clubbers the police had been called and he could be arrested, he left for his hotel.

One clubber told reporters Tyler had said of the knife: ‘I just brought it because Donald Trump said London was like a war zone. I had it for protection.’

The Metropolitan Police said officers arrived at the club and recovered the knife, but ‘the suspect had left’. It was only on Sunday that police went to the hotel to search the Dooleys’ rooms.

Thomas declined to comment yesterday and Tyler could not be reached for a response.

Last night a source close to the family told the Daily Mail: ‘Tyler is upset at the thought of no longer ever having the chance to see his Aunt Meghan again and bitter at not being invited.

‘It appears he has been carrying the knife down in his back pocket the whole time he has been here.

‘He told people at the club he usually carries a gun at home and was asking if London was really dangerous. He said earlier in the week he had been concerned about terror attacks.

‘He apologised to the police without making any fuss so he could fly straight back without a criminal record. The rest of the family are distraught.’

The source added that when police searched the brothers’ hotel rooms, ‘they admitted they had the weapons and had managed to get them through customs, and they were confiscated’. Carrying a bladed article can lead to a four-year prison sentence in England and Wales, although if it is not used to threaten, this is unlikely for a first offence.

Pepper spray is covered by the Firearms Act, under which it is considered a noxious substance. In the worst cases, possession can lead to a ten-year jail term.

The Metropolitan Police said last night they were called to a club in Kingston ‘after a man openly declared he had a knife as he attempted to enter’.

A spokesman added: ‘When officers arrived inquiries led them to a hotel in Kingston and two men in their 20s were spoken to.

‘One of the men also voluntarily surrendered a noxious spray. Both men, who were visitors to the UK, were warned about their actions. Neither was arrested, no further action was taken and inquiries are complete.’

Police Commander Sally Benatar said: ‘We take possession of knives and prohibited weapons very seriously and are determined to take them off the streets.

‘In this case, careful consideration was taken by the officers, the items were handed over voluntarily and there was no ongoing risk, so the investigation was closed with warnings given.

‘Having reviewed the circumstances and the risk posed by these two men, I support the actions taken by the officers.’