Karl Stefanovic slammed for criticising royals’ privacy demands

It was always going to be controversial, but there was one line in particular during Karl Stefanovic’s Meghan Markle story that left viewers furious.

Karl Stefanovic has been branded a “hypocrite” by 60 Minutes viewers over his criticism of Meghan Markle’s desire for privacy — after previously slamming the media in a bid to protect his own.

During the controversial segment, which aired on Sunday night, Stefanovic investigated why the shine has so quickly faded from the Duchess of Sussex and her husband, Prince Harry.

“The couple appear to want a little privacy. Too much to ask? You bet. The public feel cheated, the tabloids have turned and the blame game — much of it directed at Meghan — is fierce,” he said in the introduction.

Stefanovic’s Meghan story caused global backlash before it even aired.

It’s certainly a topic Stefanovic is all-too-familiar with. Amid the breakdown of his marriage to Cassandra Thorburn, subsequent relationship with now-wife Jasmine Yarbrough and his ultimate axing as host of the Today show, the TV presenter regularly pleaded for privacy and blasted tabloids for their running commentary on his life.

So while complaints about the royals’ demands for privacy are nothing new — the decision for Stefanovic to front this latest round of criticism baffled plenty of those watching at home.

As one person wrote on Twitter: “Watching the hypocrisy of Karl Stefanovic scrutinising a public person after pleading for his own privacy for two years — I mean, what is this?”

Meghan and Harry have been caught in a storm of bad press recently. Picture: Yui Mok — WPA Pool/Getty Images

The brunt of the brutal judgment levelled at Meghan during the segment came from British media commentator Katie Hopkins, who is mostly known as one of the country’s most-hated public figures.

At times, Stefanovic gently reined her in, but Hopkins was still given plenty of opportunity to offer her unfiltered (and unflattering) views on Meghan — something the Nine presenter has criticised others for doing to him in the past.

watching the hypocricy of karl stefanovic scrutinizing a public person after pleading for his own privacy for two years - i mean, what is this? #60Minutes #MeganMarkle

— Julian Curtis (@thisguyjules) September 8, 2019

Ah really @karlstefanovic stooping to trash tabloid story on #MeganMarkle your better than that, this is @ACurrentAffair9 standard of story #60mins #fail #nextstoryplease

— JASE (@jase_m81) September 8, 2019

#60minutes @karlstefanovic Didn’t Karl go on about how the press hounded Diana? What’s he doing now?

— KevinDoran33 (@EFC331) September 8, 2019

Even before the program aired, Nine copped global backlash for its inclusion of Hopkins, a conservative whose racist remarks frequently make headlines.

While denying she was racist, Hopkins took a vitriolic view of the Duchess, arguing she was harming Harry’s reputation and was “only ever in cheap movies”.

Hopkins is an unpopular public figure. Source: Nine

“Why do you hate Meghan so much?” Stefanovic asked her. “What has she ever done to you?”

“Oh everything,” she responded. “It’s my royal family. This is my country. Prince Harry is my Prince Harry.

“I’m not jealous,” she added. “Who wants to be Meghan Markle? I’m unpopular. I’m known as the biggest b*tch in Britain. The only person in Britain who’s more unpopular than me? Meghan Markle. I don’t think that’s right. I think that’s true.”

Hopkins then blasted the Duchess as a “hypocrite”.

“What does Meghan Markle do? Oh, we’ve got to save the planet. Oh, do one good thing every day. Blah blah blah blah blah. Then what does she do? Get on four private flights to wherever land at 400,000 pounds a week hire and then uses up half the CO2 emissions that anyone else might have had. It’s pure hypocrisy.

“And what is she really? She’s a no one. She’s a divorcee. When did we want a divorcee in the royal family? She wears bad clothes. When did we ask for that? We’ve just got so much better of our own.”

What did you think of 60 Minutes’ treatment of Meghan Markle? Join the conversation in the comments below.