Abigail Spencer Defends Meghan Markle Against 'Untruths Swirling Around' amid Bullying Claims
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Abigail Spencer has joined a growing list of Meghan Markle's friends and colleagues in defending her against bullying allegations, which the Duchess of Sussex has denied.
The Suits alum, who attended Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, spoke out in defense of her former costar and longtime friend in a lengthy social media post on Friday.
"She's modeled nothing but generous professionalism on sets and an even more generous friendship in private," Spencer, 39, wrote. "I've learned so much from Meg. The power of a handwritten note. The loveliness of surprise flowers. That she has a perpetual rolodex in her brain of recommendations for the heart, soul, & body."
"She's been there for me - and physically held me - in my darkest hours: After my dad died. After a gut wrenching break up she brought me into her home & nursed me back to health. Soup & salad waiting in the kitchen, just, if I needed it," the actress continued. "She's taken my son in as her own. I can't tell you the value of having another working mother I can lean on when with the pressures of visibility & child-rearing woes become overwhelming. She's always been a safe harbor for me, someone I can fall apart in front of... and with. And I have."
Todd Williamson/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Meghan Markle, Abigail Spencer
As her post continued, Spencer recalled spending time with Meghan, 39, at a polo match Harry, 36, played in for his charity Sentebale.
Noting that there were no photographers present, the actress reflected on an interaction her friend had with a little girl.
"I could tell that that little girl saw herself in Meghan," Spencer wrote. "Meghan told her that she could be anything she wanted to be and do anything she wanted with her life. She hugged her and the little girl went skipping back to her family."
"This is the person I've known the past fourteen years. I am extremely private about my friendship with Meg. I'm not here to tell you her story. That's for her," Spencer continued. "So why am I writing this now? I felt drawn - in all this melee, with all the untruths swirling around - to present something real. From a real friend. About a real friend."
"There are some people who are so bright and exude such deep purpose that they change the molecules in the air simply through their being. She was all of this from the moment I met her fourteen years go. And remains so to this day," she continued. "Meg walks the walk. She's a doer. In the face of darkness, she shows up in light and in love. When they go low, she goes high. Again and again. She works tirelessly - and often quietly - for the causes she believes in."
Spencer went on to praise the commitment to service that Meghan shares with her husband. "She and Harry are an incredible team. They are dedicating their lives to lifting up and amplifying those who do not have a voice for themselves," the actress wrote.
Chris Jackson/Getty Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
Several additional Suits actors and writers also stood up to defend Meghan, including star Patrick J. Adams, who slammed the British royal family for their role in "promoting and amplifying accusations of 'bullying.'"
Others — including Meghan's longtime friend Jessica Mulroney, author and television producer Lindsay Jill Roth, and Meghan's makeup artist Daniel Martin — also spoke out against the accusations.
"It's hard for me to watch her go through all that she has to as the Meghan the press can love to hate…. Mostly because it's so far from the Meghan that I know. Sweet. Kind. Always showing up!" wrote Meghan's close friend Heather Dorak, founder of Pilates Platinum.
"Two weeks ago, she was the first to surprise me with a gift after my knee surgery. 17 years ago, she walked into my fledgling Pilates studio and instantly became my rock in all things early 20's - career, love, figuring out how to adult," she continued. "She's always been truly wonderful ... M, I love you."
There has been a swell of support for Meghan over the past week after an article in The Times in the U.K. claimed that the Duchess of Sussex faced a bullying complaint made by one of her close advisers during her time as a working royal at Kensington Palace — something her office has strongly refuted.
The Times article surfaced complaints made in October 2018 by the couple's former communications secretary Jason Knauf, which claimed that Meghan drove two personal assistants out of the household and undermined the confidence of a third staff member.
On Wednesday, the palace announced they will launch a probe into the allegations.
The Times article was published just five days before Meghan and Prince Harry's highly anticipated sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey, airing Sunday on CBS.
"The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma," a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. "She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good."
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In response to the legal letter to The Times, which reportedly said the newspaper was "being used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative" before the Oprah Winfrey interview, a source told PEOPLE, "It is unfair, untrue and disingenuous to say that the palace is coordinating this."
There "are far more important things we are focusing on," a source added, referring to Prince Philip's illness and his ongoing care following a heart procedure, the calls that the Queen has been making about vaccinations and the ongoing business of state.
Apart from confirming that they didn't know about the Oprah interview before the news was broken, the palace hasn't commented on what is in the interview.
