Meghan Markle Is Being Told to 'Stay Out of Politics' for Her 'Radical Liberal' Vogue Issue

Louisa Ballhaus

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It’s no secret that British journalist Piers Morgan has a problem with Meghan Markle — in fact, he seems intent on making his criticism of the Duchess a cornerstone of his writing. In his latest piece, Morgan criticized Meghan for her “political” Vogue issue, claiming the magazine acts as proof that the duchess cares more about furthering her own interests than about the status of the royal family. Morgan insisted that royals have no place in politics. The host’s vitriol has not gone unnoticed by fans and critics of the Duchess alike — including Jameela Jamil (another of Morgan’s targets) who, well, had a few choice words for the journalist.

To give you a sense of the tone of Morgan’s Daily Mail column, let’s look to his Twitter, where he announced the column’s forthcoming publication. “My new @DailyMail column is about Meghan Markle’s ‘inspiring’ @BritishVogue issue – that’s inspired me to feel like vomiting. Posting soon,” Morgan wrote on Twitter. The column sticks to that level of insult, accusing Meghan of having “guzzled at the udder of royal fame like a starving desert traveller” and “forcing her radical liberal opinions” on the public.

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Morgan’s primary issue appears to be that Meghan would engage in politics at all: “Being a royal means you stay out of politics,” he states flatly. “Yet here is Meghan being about as political as any royal has ever been.” Never mind that Morgan categorically disagrees with what her political views are, calling her “PC-crazed” and claiming that her Vogue cover is the opposite of inclusive as it “excludes the planet’s entire male population” and sends the message that “only women can change the world.” Can Prince Harry please intervene and explain the patriarchy to this man?

Overall, Morgan believes that Meghan’s “ego is running dangerously out of control,” and that her decision to guest-edit Vogue proves she has more commitment to enduring fame in America than any of her royal duties. The women she featured in Vogue are primarily American, and her big interview is with Michelle Obama, Morgan points out. “The message is pretty clear: promoting Brand Meghan to America is more important to her than promoting Brand Britain,” he concludes. “Here’s my advice to Meghan: take a long hard look in the mirror you stuck on your Vogue cover, and ask yourself one question: ‘Do I want to be a royal or a virtue-signaling political activist celebrity?”

Morgan also takes aim at Jameela Jamil, one of the women Meghan featured in the cover. “Ms Jamil used to be, by her own admission, a ‘slut-shamey, judgmental’ columnist for Company magazine who repeatedly attacked other women for their behavior, Morgan writes. “Jamil is self-evidently the complete antithesis of ‘equality, kindness and open mindedness,’ not least when it comes to women.” Jamil wasted no time in responding to his criticism, taking to Twitter to point out the difference between owning up to one’s past mistakes and failing to ever evolve.

“It is never too late to check yourself and right your wrongs,” Jamil writes. “I used to be slut shamey, judgmental, and my feminism wasn’t intersectional enough. Nobody is born perfectly “woke”. Listen, read, learn, grow, change and make room for everyone. We aren’t free til ALL of us are free.” Others have posted on Twitter taking issue with Morgan’s column too: One points out that many other royals have guest-edited magazine features, and many point out that Morgan’s obsession with criticizing Meghan has reached new heights.

Given that Morgan disagrees with the core of Meghan’s message of female empowerment, it’s hard for us to find much value in any of his criticisms. Clearly, we differ in thinking on what royals should use their influence for, and what constitutes a betrayal of the public’s trust. It’s a good point that many other royals (Harry, Prince Charles, and Kate Middleton included) have guest-edited publications without receiving this kind of flack. Increasingly, it does seem as though Morgan’s vendetta against Meghan may be more personal than anything else — and while Morgan may think Meghan is misusing her platform by guest-editing Vogue, we personally think Morgan is misusing his by turning his column into a weekly “let’s bash Meghan” segment.

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