In his first TV interview since leaving Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan told Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson that he still “didn’t believe” what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had told Oprah Winfrey, claiming that he had “universal” support from the British public in the row.
In the Oprah ‘tell-all’ which aired in the US on 7 March, the Duchess of Sussex claimed that she was denied help from royal aides when feeling suicidal during her pregnancy with Archie, who was also deprived of ‘prince’ status while there were some “concerns” in the palace about the skin tone of the yet-to-be-born baby.
Many of these statements were slammed by Morgan during GBM broadcasts on 8 and 9 March, as the journalist argued that he didn’t believe “a word” Markle said. His televised rage led to some 57,000 complaints sent to Ofcom over the interview’s coverage, including one from the duchess herself, according to the journalist.
Morgan was pressured to apologise for his words from ITV bosses, he said, but when refused, resignation was the only option left for him.
But the former GMB host told Carlson that following the row, which included his dramatic storming off set on 9 March after the clash with the programme’s weatherman Alex Beresford over Morgan’s criticism of the duchess, many people have demonstrated their support for the journalist.
“Old, young, black, white, it didn’t matter. They’ve been coming up to me in their droves all day, every day,” Morgan unveiled.
‘Massively Exaggerated’ Claims
Dubbing the Duchess of Sussex “delusional”, he has again accused the couple of “lying on a global scale” and carrying out the “most extraordinarily disingenuous smear, hit job” against the royal family.
The legendary British host went on to back up his disbelief, saying that “seventeen different claims” made by the pair to Oprah have now been “proven to be either completely untrue, or massively exaggerated, or unprovable.”
“I don't understand why I should have to believe people who are not telling the truth,” Morgan fumed to Carlson.
Among these disputed claims are apparently Meghan’s ‘revelation’ that she and Harry tied the knot three days before the official ceremony overseen by the Archbishop of Canterbury. But both the couple’s wedding certificate and Archbishop Justin Welby have disputed this account of events.
Morgan insists that many of Markle’s comments in the interview were simply the result of “Meghan's way and Meghan's truth”.
“I was under attack from Ms. Markle to confirm to her version of events and I had to believe her and if I didn't I was a racist who should be condemned,” Morgan complained.
Meanwhile, he insisted to Carlson that while slamming the monarchy, the couple has continued benefiting from their royal titles while landing some lucrative deals with Spotify and Netflix.
“So now you have these two ‘oppressed’ people living in a mansion in California earning hundreds of millions of dollars in the middle of a pandemic that has killed nearly three million people, portraying themselves as the biggest victims in the world,” Morgan concluded.
The former GBM host previously signalled that he was not planning to return to the breakfast show, despite a flurry of petitions now calling on him to make a starring comeback.