Meghan McCain has an opinion on Meghan Markle‘s decision not to attend the coronation of King Charles III on May 6 — and it’s not a nice one. The former talk show host questioned Meghan’s reasons for deciding not to attend alongside her husband Prince Harry and further accused her of “chickening out” in the belligerent rant. “There are arguably few people on Earth more obsessed with seeing themselves on camera than Meghan,” 38-year-old McCain wrote in an aggressive op-ed published on April 13 the Daily Mail. “Now, all of a sudden, she doesn’t want to be pictured in public, dressed up in one of those ridiculous tiny hats? I’m sorry. I’m not buying it.”
“I believe brave Meghan is chickening out,” she continued in the screed. “It seems to me that she is clearly unwilling to face the music with her in-laws and the British public. No matter how tone-deaf she is (and she’s pretty tone-deaf), she must be aware of how deeply unpopular she is in her husband’s home country. She would likely be booed the second the private jet’s wheels touch down.”
McCain’s attacks weren’t limited to Meghan, however. She also slammed the Prince for his “love of attention.” “And that love of attention goes for her husband as well,” she continued. “For all his hatred of the media, he sure does share a lot of intimate details of his life with… the media.” McCain furhter complained about Harry’s disclosure of private details in his memoir, Spare. “I’ve read more than I’d care to about Harry’s sexual history, his genitalia and his drug use. But, as Omid also made clear, the Prince’s jaunt to London will be a short one.”
Buckingham Palace released a statement about Meghan’s absence from the big event earlier in April. “Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th,” it said. “The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.” May 6 is Prince Archie’s fourth birthday.
Criticism of one Meghan to another hasn’t been limited to McCain — not by a long shot. Diane Abbott, the first black woman elected to the UK Parliament, offered up insight in a 2020 interview with CNN. “There is something about Black women that people in this country find particularly triggering,” she said the time. “I don’t know why, but it’s a combination of racism and misogyny and Meghan came in for that in spades.”
In any case, another talk show host — the queen of talk shows, in fact, Oprah Winfrey — offered up a much gentler comment for Markle. “I think they should do what they feel is best for them and for their family,” she said during a March appearance on CBS Mornings. “That’s what I think. That’s what the bottom line — it comes down to: What do you feel like is the best thing for you?”