Meghan Markle has always had a particularly rough time in the press, and things got heated again recently when she and Prince Harry announced that they plan to keep their birth plans private. But one universally beloved powerhouse just came to Meghan's defense: Oprah Winfrey herself.
Oprah has a history with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. She attended their royal wedding in May, and afterward, she spent some time with Meghan's mom, Doria Ragland. Oprah's best friend Gayle King is friends with Meghan, too — Gayle attended the duchess's baby shower in New York. Oprah also just announced that she's partnering with Prince Harry to create a mental health series for Apple.
Oprah appeared on CBS This Morning to discuss the new project with Gayle and the other hosts. Then the Duchess of Sussex came up, and Oprah spoke her mind. She said that she sees the press's treatment of Meghan as "very unfair."
Oprah Winfrey came to Meghan Markle's defense during an appearance on CBS This Morning. She called the press's depiction of the duchess "very unfair."
"I think she's being portrayed unfairly, and I feel that if people really knew her they would know that she is not only everything we perceive of her in being graceful and dynamic in holding that position, but she just has a wonderful, warm, giving, loving heart," Oprah said, according to People.
Host Gayle King agreed with Oprah: "She's very kind. She doesn't seem to buy into [her bad press] though."
Oprah and Gayle are both friendly with Meghan. Oprah is currently collaborating with Prince Harry on a mental health initiative, and Gayle is close enough with Meghan that she attended her baby shower in New York.
Oprah also attended the couple's royal wedding last year. She has even hung out with Meghan's mom, Doria Ragland. She invited Doria to do yoga at her house in California and gifted her with a bag full of kumquats from her kumquat tree!
Oprah added that despite all of the negative headlines about Meghan, the duchess really doesn't pay them any mind. She doesn't even read them!
"I think that's remarkable that despite everything that’s going on she does not read anything," Oprah said.
The topic is very relevant right now, because Meghan was recently slammed by the British media for her and Harry's decision to have a relatively private birth. The Sussexes plan to announce when Meghan goes into labor, but they won't announce when the baby arrives, and they won't do the traditional post-birth photo op to reveal the newborn to the public.
The couple hasn't specified where they plan to give birth, either, whether at home or at a nearby hospital.
They will pose with their baby at Windsor Castle a few days after the birth, though — whenever they're ready to share that moment with everyone.
"The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family," the Buckingham Palace statement read.
It seems pretty reasonable, but British tabloids took the opportunity to slam Meghan, writing that she "doesn't get to claim 'privacy'" after British taxpayers paid for her elaborate wedding to Prince Harry.
One talk show host on Jeremy Vine said that she felt "affronted" by Meghan and Harry not including everyone in their birth.
The hosts even implied that Meghan and Harry are basically the property of the public, because they receive (some) money from taxpayers.
Most of the vitriol is aimed toward Meghan, not Harry, even though the two probably make these decisions jointly — and even though Harry is the privacy-loving one and the one who has been receiving taxpayer money for his entire life, whereas Meghan has been in the royal family for only a year.
Indeed, there seems to be an overall double standard with how Meghan is treated compared to the other members of the royal family.
The discrepancy in treatment has many fans wondering if the British press mainly takes issue with Meghan because she's, well, a black royal!
By virtue of her race, she's seen by some as an improper intruder.
That's likely why many black American celebrities have shown support for Meghan over the past year. In February, Beyoncé and Jay-Z posed in front of a portrait they commissioned showing a regal Meghan Markle.
Other celebrities have come to Meghan's defense, too, including George Clooney. Several of Meghan's close friends also anonymously defended her in a groundbreaking interview.
But as Oprah pointed out, Meghan is wise and self-loving enough to not read the cruel articles or comments about her. Mental health is one of her husband's great passions, after all, so if anybody knows how to thoughtfully manage the stress of being in the spotlight, it's these two!
"I have no idea how any of us stay sane," Prince Harry said in 2017, according to Forbes. "But it comes with the job, and one of the hardest things is not being able to have a voice and stand up for yourself. You just have to let it wash over you."
