Meghan 'lodged formal complaint to ITV' over Piers Morgan GMB comments

10 March 2021, 14:02 | Updated: 10 March 2021, 14:08

Meghan Markle formally complained to ITV after Piers Morgan’s comments about her on Good Morning Britain, according to reports.

It comes after ITV announced the presenter and journalist was leaving the news programme on Tuesday evening.

Morgan has faced backlash over his incendiary comments about the Duchess of Sussex after her and Harry's headline-making interview with Oprah Winfrey.

READ MORE: Piers Morgan: Damage Meghan has done to Queen is 'frankly contemptible'

READ MORE: Queen to 'privately' address issues raised in Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview

Meghan lodged a formal complaint to ITV following Morgan's comments, according to The Telegraph.

The paper said a spokesman for the broadcaster "refused to deny" the reports.

Ofcom has also announced it is investigating comments Morgan made about the interview.

The watchdog received more than 41,000 complaints about his remarks on Monday's show.

Brendan O'Neill blames Meghan's 'creepy woke cult' for Morgan quitting

Morgan has since said he stands by his comments and does not believe what Meghan told Winfrey, after she discussed her issues with mental health and suicidal thoughts.

He labelled the Duchess of Sussex's comments in the interview as "contemptible".

Speaking outside his London home on Wednesday, Morgan said: "I believe in freedom of speech, I believe in the right to be allowed to have an opinion. If people want to believe Meghan Markle, that's entirely their right.

"I don't believe almost anything that comes out of her mouth and I think the damage she's done to the British monarchy and to the Queen at a time when Prince Philip is lying in hospital is enormous and frankly contemptible.

Morgan: Damage Meghan has done to Queen is 'frankly contemptible'

"If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it."

He added: "I think it's fair to say, although the woke crowd will think that they've cancelled me, I think they will be rather disappointed when I re-emerge.”

Morgan described his departure from the programme as "amicable", adding: "I had a good chat with ITV and we agreed to disagree."

Harry and Meghan’s televised interview with Winfrey unleashed a dramatic set of revelations, with the couple hitting out at the institution and members of the royal family in a series of astonishing admissions.

James O'Brien shows caller how media flipped her view of Meghan Markle

The duchess revealed that working for ‘The Firm’ - as the royal family is sometimes known - ultimately left her feeling that ending her life was an option, and how she had not been protected by the monarchy. 

Asked explicitly by Winfrey if she was thinking of self-harm and having suicidal thoughts at some stage, Meghan replied: "Yes. This was very, very clear.

"Very clear and very scary. I didn't know who to turn to in that." 

She also claimed a member of the royal family - who both Harry and Meghan refused to identify but Oprah later clarified was not the Queen or Prince Philip - was worried about how dark their son Archie's skin tone might be before he was born.

Meghan said there had been "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he is born".