meghan markle and serena williams© Photo: Getty Images

Celebrity friends rush to defend Prince Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview

The Sussexes' supporters have spoken out

Content Managing Editor
March 8, 2021

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's fans and celebrity friends have spoken out in defence of the couple's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The much-anticipated programme, Oprah With Meghan And Harry: A CBS Primetime Special, aired on Sunday night and left viewers hooked.

MORE: Why Prince Harry and Meghan won't show their home in Oprah documentary

It was clear that the couple had plenty of backing from their loved ones, fans and other viewers as the show aired.

WATCH: HELLO!'s correspondents Danielle Stacey and Brandi Fowler discuss how the interview has gone down on both sides of the Atlantic

Good friend and tennis star Serena Williams took to Twitter to share a statement in which she described her as a "selfless friend" who "teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble".

She added: "Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she's experienced.

"I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of colour to minimise us, to break us down and demonise us. We must recognise our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism. The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimisation are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal.

MORE: Meghan Markle chooses most stunning silk dress for Oprah interview

MORE: Who will Meghan Markle turn to for help with her son Archie and second baby?

"I want Meghan's daughter, my daughter and your daughter to live in a society that is driven by respect.

© Photo: Getty Images

Meghan's friend Daniel Martin has reacted to the interview

"Keep in your memory the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Daniel Martin, who has been Meghan's make-up artist since her Suits days, shared a picture of Meghan and Harry embracing on Instagram, alongside a poem from Maya Angelou that said: "You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt. But still, like dust, I'll rise."

Celebrities and activists have also shown support for the couple, including the niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, Meena Harris.

Prior to the interview airing, she tweeted: "Happy Meghan Markle appreciation day." After it had finished she said: "Her Majesty The Queen Oprah."

During the explosive interview, Meghan, who is pregnant with her second child, was visibly emotional as she spoke about joining the royal family in 2018 and handling life under intense public pressure.

The Duchess, who was joined by husband Harry for the second part of the two-hour TV special, also spoke about marriage, motherhood and her philanthropic work.

Ahead of the programme, CBS dropped two teasers to give viewers a taste of what to expect. In one, Oprah pointedly asks Meghan whether she was "silent or silenced", and later asks her friend: "Almost unsurvivable. Sounds like there was a breaking point?"

Referring to his late mother Princess Diana, Harry also remarks in the clip: "My biggest fear was history repeating itself."

MORE: Where are Princess Diana's sisters Sarah and Jane now?

In a second clip, the Duke also notes of his mother: "I'm just really relieved and happy to be sitting here, talking to you, with my wife by my side, because I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like for her, going through this process by herself, all those years ago. "Because it has been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we had each other."

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