Female MPs declare solidarity with Meghan Markle over media treatment

More than 70 female MPs from across the political spectrum have teamed up to condemn media coverage of the Duchess of Sussex, saying some articles have “outdated, colonial undertones”.

In an open letter published on Twitter, the parliamentarians say such “distasteful and misleading” stories “cannot be allowed to go unchallenged”.

The signatories to the letter, which is written on House of Commons headed notepaper, include Labour’s Yvette Cooper, Diane Abbott and Tulip Siddiq; the Tories’ Tracey Crouch and Gillian Keegan; and Lib Dem MPs Angela Smith and Layla Moran.

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The MPs say they “share an understanding of the abuse and intimidation” faced by women in public life and “expect the national media to have the integrity to know when a story is in the national interest, and when it is seeking to tear a woman down for no apparent reason”.

The BBC points out that the letter comes after an “emotional” television documentary last week, in which Meghan described the pressures she had faced from “intense media scrutiny”.

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Prince Harry also spoke out about the media’s treatment of the couple, saying that his wife had become a “victim” of the tabloid press in a “ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year”, The Guardian reported in early October.

“I will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum,” he said, reports Reuters.

Prince Harry and Meghan have filed a lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday after the newspaper published one of the duchess’ private letters.

Meanwhile, Meghan’s on-screen father from Suits, Wendell Pierce, offered his support to the former actress yesterday, says the Daily Mail.

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he said that “millions care for her”, advising her that “in those tough times just remember you have a lot of people who care about you”.