Piers Morgan Takes Jabs At Prince Harry And Meghan Markle For 'Salacious Gossip' Letter

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's announcement that they are cutting ties with four British tabloids couldn't have come at a worse time. At least that's what former The Sun editor Piers Morgan thinks. The British journalist called out the couple on Twitter in response to Financial Times reporter Mark Di Stefano's sharing of the letter.

The "Good Morning Britain" host later took another jab at the couple amid the news that Prince Philip had come out of retirement to thank those on the frontline of the pandemic.

"As Meghan & Harry berate the media, claim #coronavirus crisis is exaggerated & leak texts to her father," he tweeted. "Prince Philip sends a simple heartfelt message of support to those on the frontline. Britain is so well rid of the ghastly Sussexes & so lucky to have our senior royals."

As The Sun reports, Morgan has spoken negatively about the Duchess in the past. He's accused her of "acting like a Hollywood actress" and being a "social climber." He also wrote a scathing op-ed for the Daily Mail about the letter, calling Harry and Meghan "a repellent pair of preening tone-deaf little twerps."

Meghan and Harry sent a letter out to The Sun, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, for which Morgan also served as an editor, and Daily Mail on Sunday night. In the letter, the couple promised to never work with those outlets again or allow them access to their events in the future due to their reporting practices.

“As The Duke and Duchess of Sussex now settle into the next chapter of their lives and no longer receive any publicly funded support, we are writing to set a new media relations policy, specifically as it pertains to your organisation,” the duke and duchess opened the letter.

The statement went on to express Meghan and Harry’s belief in the need for “free press” and the obligation of journalists to tell the truth. However, the couple accused the outlets mentioned above of abandoning that obligation for financial gain.

“It is gravely concerning that an influential slice of the media, over many years, has sought to insulate themselves from taking accountability for what they say or print–– even when they know it to be distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason,” they wrote. “When power is enjoyed without responsibility, the trust we all place in this much-needed industry is degraded.”

Harry and Meghan stated that humans and “every corner of society” suffers when reporting is done without ethical boundaries.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have watched people they know ––as well as complete strangers–– have their lives completely pulled apart for no good reason, other than the fact that salacious gossip boosts advertising revenue,” the former senior British royals stated.

The letter went on to explain that neither the couple nor their communications team would be engaging or corroborating with the tabloids. Furthermore, it explained that this was not their attempt to avoid criticism, but rather to avoid it being “based on a lie.”

The statement also pointed out that what was written is not a “blanket policy for all media” and that the couple looks forward to working with other reporters and outlets.

“And they look forward to doing whatever they can to help further opportunities for more diverse and underrepresented voices, who are needed now more than ever,” the letter read. “What they won’t do is offer themselves up as currency for an economy of clickbait and distortion. We are encouraged that this new approach will be heard and respected.”

As Financial Times reports, Meghan is suing Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, over the publication of a handwritten letter she sent to her father, Thomas Markle.

Furthermore, the Mail on Sunday published several articles ahead of her and Harry’s wedding about Thomas working with the paparazzi to stage photos for money.

The lawsuit is for breach of copyright, infringement of her privacy and breaches of the Data Protection Act.