Meghan’s brother vows to ‘seek help’
MEGHAN Markle’s half-brother Tom last night vowed to ‘seek help’ after a drunken brawl with his fiancée on New Year’s Eve.
The flare-up in their Oregon home led to Darlene Blount being thrown into jail for two nights for assault.
Mr Markle initially said his partner had begun ‘pummelling me in the face with her fists’, but last night he said his injuries were self-inflicted.
And Mr Markle – who was last year arrested for brandishing a gun at his fiancée – said they will both attend alcohol and relationship counselling.
He blamed the pressure of being in the public eye for his woes, saying: ‘It hasn’t been easy. Meghan’s relationship with Prince Harry has shone a spotlight on our family.’
As Prince Harry and Ms Markle reportedly ushered in the New Year in Monaco, Mr Markle and Ms Blount were drinking in the Cedarwood Saloon in Grant’s Pass.
Mr Markle, 51, who has the same father as Meghan, said he and his fiancée rowed at the bar. Later at their home, a brawl broke out, leading to Ms Blount’s arrest.
‘I might have said that Darlene beat me up,’ confessed Mr Markle, who paid $1,000 to bail his fiancée out of jail. ‘I was sitting on the couch and got up really fast, hit myself and gave myself a fat lip.’ Ms Blount, 37, will not face prosecution.
Meanwhile, Theresa May has given the go-ahead for British pubs to extend their hours over the royal wedding weekend and stay open on Friday, May 18, and Saturday, May 19, until 1am. The move would also allow revellers to celebrate the FA Cup Final, which kicks off later that same Saturday. The special order has only previously been used three times before.