‘Angry’: Andrew Morton on Meghan Markle bullying claims

Princess Diana’s biographer tells Sam Armytage what drives Meghan Markle and why King Charles’ reign will be short. Listen to the podcast.

Royal author Andrew Morton has revealed why Meghan Markle has been cast as an “angry” villain.

Morton, who has written global bestsellers including Diana: Her True Story and Meghan and the Unmasking of the Monarchy, revealed to Sam Armytage in her latest podcast he thinks the Duchess of Sussex has been unfairly portrayed “to a degree”.

“I think the narrative of the angry black woman is one which has been wrapped around Meghan,” he said.

“Diana had been in the job 18 months when a gossip columnist called her a fiend and a monster. I remember speaking to her at the time, her dark ages, where she was trying to keep her head above water,” Morton said.

Meghan Markle has a history of standing up to bullies, says Andrew Morton. Picture: AFP

“Fast forward to Meghan, it’s exactly the same. She was criticised within six months of the end of the honeymoon. She too was struggling to cope with life in the Royal Family.”

But there have been complaints about Ms Markle’s behaviour “which quite frankly surprised me”.

“When I was doing my research for the book...I spoke to several people who said she actually stood up in the playground against other children who were bullying weaker brethren,” he said.

“She has a history of standing up to bullying.”

The biographer said he did not agree with the comparison that Ms Markle was Diana 2.0.

“Meghan has been political. When she was 10, at her school in LA, she was leading her fellow pupils around the playground demonstrating against the first Gulf War. You would never have thought that with Diana,” Morton said.

“(Meghan) was someone who liked to be centre stage, an actress at school, compared to Diana who told me she was one of the twits who stood at the back of the stage and said nothing.

“Big character differences there – one more political, one more of a humanitarian.”

Royal biographer Andrew Morton does not agree Meghan Markle is Princess Diana 2.0. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

Listen to Sam Armytage’s podcast episode with Andrew Morton below:

“Yes she’s (Meghan) a very controversial figure … she’s aligned herself with micro progressive wing on Democrats, which is why she earned the ire of former President Trump and Republicans. Diana would have been horrified to have been pigeonholed in a political party,” he said.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, pictured in April 2022. Picture: AFP

King Charles III greets people as he visits the Mansion House in Doncaster during an official visit to Yorkshire on November 9, 2022. Picture: Getty Images

He weighed in on why the public have been obsessed with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

“I think Harry and Meghan are a charismatic couple. Whether you like it or not, when they enter a room all eyes are on them but the narrative they have pursued is one that has turned them off a lot of people,” Morton said.

Of King Charles’ reign, Morton speculated it would be short, lasting roughly a decade.

He said the King’s primary concern would be the Commonwealth and the debate in countries like Australia, New Zealand and parts of the Caribbean as to whether they should retain the British monarch as head of state.

MEGHAN’S FANS PAY $1.4M TO ATTEND GALA

Meghan Markle’s wealthy American fans are spending up to $1.4 million to mingle with her at a New York gala, according to British media reports.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will receive an award at the Ripple of Hope gala, hosted by JFK’s niece Kerry Kennedy, for their humanitarian work on December 6.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be honoured at the Ripple of Hope Gala. Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP

The gala has a ‘Pioneer’ package that costs $1.4 million and will include four seats at the top table where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to be seated, the Mail on Sunday reports.

Other package will include access to a VIP reception where photographers are expected to snap the Duke and Duchess with the event’s main benefactors.

Actor Alec Baldwin will host over the gala, which will take place four days after the Prince and Princess of Wales attend the Earthshot prize in Boston.