Following accusations by royal aides that Meghan Markle bullied members of staff, a number of celebrities have offered a show of support over social media to the former actress.
The Times reported on Tuesday that the Duchess of Sussex faced a bullying complaint made by one of her closest advisers during her time at Kensington Palace. It claimed she drove two personal assistants out of the household and was allegedly "humiliating" a third staff member.
This comes before Prince Harry and Markle's "tell all" interview with Oprah Winfrey, which is set to air on Sunday in the US and Monday in the UK.
A spokesman for the Sussexes said they were the victims of a "calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation".
Now several celebrities have come out in support of the former Suits star on social media, including Roxane Gay, Jameela Jamil, Halle Berry and Patrick J Adams.
Chrissy Teigen, who recently shared her grief after suffering a miscarriage with her third pregnancy, shared her fears over the media's treatment of pregnant Markle, who also revealed she suffered a miscarriage last summer.
“This Meghan Markle [expletive] is hitting too close to home for me," the model said in a tweet. "These people won’t stop until she miscarries ... stop it.”
Gay, an American writer and author of The New York Times best-selling essay collection Bad Feminist, wrote on Twitter: "Those British papers really cannot tolerate that Prince Harry loves a black woman. He was right to leave. I don't even think it was a hard decision. They will never ever stop trying to tear Meghan apart. It's absolutely grotesque."
Those British papers really cannot tolerate that Prince Harry loves a black woman. He was right to leave. I don’t even think it was a hard decision. They will never ever stop trying to tear Meghan apart. It’s absolutely grotesque.
— roxane gay (@rgay) March 3, 2021
Actress Gabrielle Union, who has retweeted a number of relevant posts on the matter, posted a Brady Bunch GIF of Christine Taylor's Marcia Brady while sharing The Times's exclusive story.
https://t.co/R4Ygv3jiOj pic.twitter.com/DdMBqCWwtr
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) March 4, 2021
Markle's Suits co-star and on-screen love interest Patrick J Adams, who played Mike Ross in the legal drama TV series, posted a number of tweets about the matter.
"Meghan Markle and I spent the better part of a decade working together on Suits," he writes in his first tweet. "From day one she was an enthusiastic, kind, cooperative, giving, joyful and supportive member of our television family. She remained that person and colleague as fame, prestige and power accrued."
It sickened me to read the endless racist, slanderous, clickbaiting vitriol spewed in her direction from all manner of media across the UK and the world but I also knew that Meghan was stronger than people realized or understood and they would regret underestimating her.
— Patrick J Adams (@halfadams) March 5, 2021
In a later tweet, Adams writes that it's "obscene" for the royal family, whose "newest member is currently growing inside of her", is "amplifying accusations" of bullying against a woman who was "basically forced to flea the UK in order to protect her family and her own mental health".
Catwoman star Berry simply wrote: "It's still Protect Black Women."
It’s still Protect Black Women.
— Halle Berry (@halleberry) March 3, 2021
Meanwhile, British actress and radio presenter Jameela Jamil also spoke out, tweeting: " If this is what the royal family is comfortable doing to a heavily pregnancy woman publicly.... can we even imagine what they put her through privately? They seem terrified. Her interview hasn’t even aired yet. What are they covering up? The stench of their desperation is rotten."
IF THIS IS WHAT THE ROYAL FAMILY IS COMFORTABLE DOING TO A HEAVILY PREGNANT WOMAN PUBLICLY.... can we even IMAGINE what they put her through privately? They seem terrified. Her interview hasn’t even aired yet. What are they covering up? The stench of their desperation is rotten.
— Jameela Jamil 🌈 (@jameelajamil) March 4, 2021
Markle and husband Prince Harry are scheduled to appear on CBS in a two-hour interview with Winfrey, entitled Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A Primetime Special.
It will be their first interview since stepping down from royal duties and since announcing Markle is pregnant with their second child.
A number of clips have aired before the interview, including one in which Markle accuses the Royal Family of "perpetuating lies".
Take a look through the gallery below to see how Markle's style has evolved since 2009.
