How the British Media is Reacting to Meghan and Harry’s Interview with Oprah

Martin Smith March 9, 2021, 10:54 am

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The big royal tell-all Oprah With Meghan and Harry aired in the U.K. almost 24 hours after it debuted on CBS. Overnight figures for the broadcast on ITV estimate an audience of 12.4 million — meaning a whopping 1 in 5 Brits tuned in to see the headline-grabbing spectacle for themselves.

And, perhaps not surprisingly, the reaction across the Pond has been raw and passionate, with a lot of soul-searching among some and anger among others. After all, the jaw-dropping interview exposed unsavory secrets about their royal family.

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Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan even stormed off set in a huff during a heated debate about the Duchess of Sussex, who he has viciously attacked on numerous occasions, including yesterday on DailyMailTV. But there were immediate suspicions that it was all a staged publicity stunt by blowhard Morgan in a shameless bid to put himself front and center of the story.

Piers Morgan just walked off the Good Morning Britain set (!!!) after co-presenter Alex Beresford defended Harry and Meghan and condemned Piers’ treatment of them in yesterday’s programming pic.twitter.com/mH75J8ND4O

— Chris Rickett (@chrisrickett) March 9, 2021

While Meghan Markle has received almost universal praise in the U.S., following the interview, the reaction has been much more mixed in Britain where she has been a polarizing figure ever since she started dating Prince Harry in 2016.

The Daily Mail, which has run a tsunami of stores about the event, screamed that “vengeful, self-absorbed and attention-seeking” Meghan’s interview with Oprah was “deeply destructive.” Meanwhile, another gossip-hungry tabloid, The Sun, which also went all-out in its coverage, claimed that Prince Harry “pressed the nuclear button” on his family.

Daily Express opinion writer Carole Malone hit back at the couple, sniping: “We adored Harry, and welcomed Meghan — how dare they brand us racists?” Royal biographer Penny Junor insisted in the Daily Mirror that there was “no way back for disloyal Prince Harry.”

In less hysterical reactions, The Times columnist Hugo Rifkind wrote how “Celebrities like Meghan are there to be eaten.” BBC News noted that there were “Urgent Palace talks” over Meghan and Harry’s claims. The Guardian stated that the Palace was “under pressure” to “respond to racism claims” and accused the royals of “using” Meghan to “take the focus off Prince Andrew” and his sex scandal.

The Independent wrote that the royals had “failed” Meghan and Harry and their Oprah interview was “the best best kind of revenge.” Meanwhile, Britain’s Socialist newspaper The Morning Star discussed axing the royal family altogether and declared that the “rotten institution must go.”

Event the reserved Financial Times got in on the action, with its homepage headline (warning: paywall): “From fairy tale to culture war: Britain gripped by royal race row.”

Stay tuned, this won’t be the last of it!