Hillary Clinton slams ‘unsupportive’ royals who let Meghan suffer ‘outrageous cruelty’

Former secretary of state said ‘The Firm’ tried to ‘paper over’ treatment from press

Hillary Clinton has blasted the Royal Family for not offering “support” to Meghan Markle and allowing her to suffer “outrageous cruelty” at the hands of British tabloids.

In a live event with The Washington Post for International Women’s Day on Monday, the former secretary of state said it was “heartbreaking” that the “so-called ‘Firm’” and the UK media did not embrace Markle.

Ms Clinton described the “cruelty” of British tabloids “in going after Meghan” as “outrageous” and hit out at the Royal Family for not offering her “support”.

“The fact she did not get more support, that the ... that the reaction was, you know, let’s just paper it over and pretend that it didn’t happen, or it will go away,” she said.

“Just keep your head down. Well, you know, this young woman was not about to keep her head down. You know, this is 2021, and she wanted to live her life.”

The comments came a day after Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, which saw the former Suits star reveal she contemplated taking her own life due to abuse she received after joining the royal family.

Ms Clinton said that she found the interview “so heartrending to watch” saying that she had met the couple before and Harry’s mother, Princess Diana.

She added: “It was heartbreaking to see the two of them sitting there, having to describe how difficult it was to be accepted, to be integrated, not just into the royal family as they described, but more painfully into the larger society’s, whose narrative is driven by tabloids that are living in the past.”

Ms Clinton said that in the wake of the interview she hoped there would be “some serious, thoughtful consideration in all of the institutions” about incorporating and celebrating diversity.

She concluded by adding that she believed the couple was “really trying to send a message about what institutions ... need to do to be more dynamic and forward-looking than they currently are.”