#Meghan Markle’s Suits EP Defends Her From Royal Family ‘Retaliation’ Over Oprah Interview

Meghan Markle may not have allies in the British press (or the Royal Family), but she still has friends in Hollywood.

Of course, we can count Oprah as one of those pals, seeing as her friendship with the Sussexes helped secure the upcoming tell-all interview that has Buckingham Palace so rattled right now. But the actress also has friends from her Suits days willing to come to her defense.

Related: Twitter Compares UK Media’s Coverage Of Meghan Markle & Prince Andrew

One such friend is Jon Cowan, a former writer and executive producer on the USA series. Following the recent report that Meg had “bullied” members of the palace staff pre-Megxit, Cowan responded to a since-deleted tweet on the subject. He wrote:

“It’s also possible the Duchess of Sussex is a good person thrust into an unimaginable world. Having spent 3 years working with her in her pre-Duchess days, I saw a warm, kind, caring person. I know nothing of her current situation but she gets the benefit of the doubt in my book.”

It’s also possible the Duchess of Sussex is a good person thrust into an unimaginable world. Having spent 3 years working with her in her pre-Duchess days, I saw a warm, kind, caring person. I know nothing of her current situation but she gets the benefit of the doubt in my book. https://t.co/7JD3ig6tws

— Jon Cowan (@JonCowan2015) March 3, 2021

A rep for the Duchess claimed she was “saddened” by The Times report, “particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself.” Her team released a statement saying:

“Let’s just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation. We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of The Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet. It’s no coincidence that distorted several-year-old accusations aimed at undermining The Duchess are being briefed to the British media shortly before she and The Duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience of recent years.”

A source for Us Weekly agreed, suggesting that the report was “retaliation” from the palace for speaking with Oprah. They explained:

“The assumption from friends close to Meghan and [Prince] Harry is that the palace has released this statement to strike back at Harry and Meghan for doing the [tell-all] interview. The palace knows that they will not be cast in the best light by Harry and Meghan on Sunday and doesn’t want Harry and Meghan coming off as victims.”

Related: Buckingham Palace To Investigate Claims That Meghan Markle Bullied Staffers

They added:

“The accusations of Meghan bullying staff members were mostly the palace and personal aides who were in charge of reminding Harry and Meghan about royal protocols. That’s why there was so much tension between Harry, Meghan and the palace aides mentioned in The Times.”

It’s no secret Archie’s parents weren’t interested in following the same old protocols — after all, they wouldn’t have left if they were comfortable playing by royal rules. And as another close friend pointed out, women of color in “senior positions” are often accused of being “too angry” or “too scary” simply for being assertive.

Regardless of the specific claims, it seems very clear that the report was meant to punish the 39-year-old for speaking out — and we’re so glad Meghan didn’t capitulate to that bullying. We’re glad she’s taking this time to speak her truth.

[Image via CBS/Peacock/YouTube]