Piers Morgan has defended his criticism of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s Oprah Winfrey interview, saying he finds their ‘smearing’ of the royal family and the Queen ‘disgusting’, and pointing out that the only member of the family forced to apologize for racism has been Prince Harry.
Morgan, the Editor-at-Large of DailyMail.com, left his British breakfast show, Good Morning Britain, on March 9 amid controversy over the bombshell royal interview.
He said he did not believe Markle’s version of events, and said her insinuation that the establishment was racist was ‘disgusting’.
On Monday Morgan, in his first television interview since leaving his show, told Tucker Carlson that he stood by his condemnation of the couple, and of Markle in particular.
Piers Morgan appeared on Tucker Carlson Today on Monday to discuss the Oprah interview
Morgan doubled down on his criticism of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and of Winfrey
He said he did not believe the royal family were racist, and noted it was ‘ironic’ that Prince Harry is the only one forced to apologize for racist language.
The Prince made a video diary in 2006, while in the British army, in which he describes an Asian member of his platoon as ‘our little Paki friend’.
Morgan said: ‘I have met the royals many times and I don’t believe they are racist at all.
‘In fact, the only member of the royal family who has had to publicly apologize for being racist is Prince Harry, who a few years ago had to apologize after using a deeply offensive racist term about a Pakistani soldier, that he was working with.
‘And he used other racial slurs as well in that story which was published by a British tabloid.
‘Which may explain his hatred for the British tabloids.’
The prince made the comments in footage shot while training as an officer at the Sandhurst military academy in 2006.
A year before, he was forced to make a public apology for wearing a Nazi swastika at a fancy dress party.
When the 2006 footage emerged, in 2009, St James’s Palace issued a public apology, saying: ‘Prince Harry fully understands how offensive this term can be, and is extremely sorry for any offence his words might cause.
‘However, on this occasion three years ago, Prince Harry used the term without any malice and as a nickname about a highly popular member of his platoon. There is no question that Prince Harry was in any way seeking to insult his friend.’
The couple spoke to Winfrey for an interview which aired on March 7 in the U.S.
Morgan concluded: ‘But he’s the only one. Isn’t that ironic? That wasn’t mentioned by Oprah Winfrey – and it should have been.’
Morgan also took issue on Monday with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex making allegations of racism, without naming the specific individuals involved.
They claimed that someone senior within the family had asked how dark their son Archie’s skin would be.
Morgan said that he wanted to know more about the context – whether the remarks were innocent and harmless, or with a malicious undertone.
He also noted how both he and his friend Sharon Osbourne, who defended Morgan for voicing his opinions, had been forced from their jobs.
Osbourne left daytime chat show The Talk on March 26, after a heated row on March 10 when she defended his right to air his views.
‘If you’re going to accuse people of racism – and I have a real vested interest in this debate, because I have been accused of racism simply for disbelieving Meghan Markle, who we now know was not telling the truth throughout that interview.
‘And I feel very angry about that, and very aggrieved about that,’ he said.
Morgan said he was ‘very angry’ about being branded a racist for disbelieving Meghan’s story
‘And I have seen friends of mine, like Sharon Osbourne, being removed from their job for defending me, because apparently they were defending a racist.
‘I have seen Don Lemon at CNN, the guy who sits in my old office, who I thought was a friend, actually say on his show that I had committed an act of racism by disbelieving somebody. That’s an act of racism?
‘So you have the Queen, and frankly every member of the royal family, is still smeared with the idea it may have been them who expressed concern over the skin color of Archie. Well, did they? And if so, who was it?
‘As a British taxpayer, who helps pay for the royal family, I would like to know, actually, if there is a real racist inside the palace.’
Prince Harry subsequently told Winfrey that it was not the Queen or Prince Philip.
Morgan also called into question Winfrey’s conduct during the interview, asking why she didn’t press for more answers or clarification.
‘My problem with this whole interview is that these incredibly damaging allegations were tossed out there, and none of them were challenged properly,’ he said.
‘None of them were challenged based on actual reality. None of them were asked, well, who is this person?’
