'Sick to Death of the Bashing': During Heated Exchange, Meghan Markle Defended by TV Host Denise Welch

Welch went to bat for Markle against the former royal press spokesman on TV on Monday.

By Michael Hein

Talk show host Denise Welch defended Meghan Markle passionately on Monday in a conversation with former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter. Arbiter joined the panel on Loose Women to discuss the issues facing the royal family – particularly King Charles III's battle with cancer. However, when the topic turned to Prince Harry and Markle, Welch fired back at Arbiter with full force.

While discussing all the factors impacting the king's health and his mental state, Arbiter wondered if the whether the king will ever get a chance to truly mend his relationship with Prince Harry, who stepped down as a working royal in 2020 and moved to the U.S. with his wife. Welch responded: "If I may say, do you not think there is a reason why Harry did such a thing?" She pointed out that the relationship between this father and son was likely strained on some level for years due to the infidelity between the king and Princess Diana, and the circumstances of her death.

"Then he has a wife who is completely and continually trashed by the media, including your good self," Welch said bluntly. "I am just sick to death of the bashing that this woman gets... we continually berate this woman every day."

Arbiter responded that Prince Harry and Markle could fairly be criticized for leaving the royal family behind, but Welch disagreed. She said: "Why would they not walk out? Why would they want to spend their life in a country that hated them?" At that point, co-host Coleen Nolan stepped in, saying that they weren't planning to have a "debate" on this subject. Welch said: "Don't have a guest on... I can say what I like!"

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Commenters were in awe of this exchange, especially considering Arbiter's lofty background. The 83-year-old was press spokesman for Queeen Elizabeth II from 1988 until 2000, and was a trusted reported for the royal family after that. He has a long career of reporting in newspapers and on the radio, although he has some blunders behind him as well. Notably, in March of 2021, he was fooled by YouTube pranksters into "reacting" to an inauthentic version of Prince Harry and Markle's infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Markle and Prince Harry remain divisive figures in the news around the world, although their treatment has highlighted the difference in attitude between the U.S. and the U.K. in particular. Prince Harry is visiting his father in the U.K. this week, but Markle is not expeected to tag along.

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