Karl Stefanovic has faced heavy backlash after a preview for his 60 Minutes segment “How Meghan Markle lost her sparkle” was released last week.
The segment has been criticised for apparently sympathising with so-called ‘racist’ critics of the Duchess of Sussex – namely outspoken conservative British commentator Katie Hopkins.
WATCH: Katie Hopkins tells Karl Stefanovic why she hates Meghan Markle
During the interview, Stefanovic asks Hopkins if her hatred of the former Suits actress-turned royal is steeped in racism – an accusation which Hopkins strongly denied.
“I think that’s where people go with this. If I criticised Meghan, as we can hear I am, people say, ‘Well, you’re racist’. And, honestly, it’s not even a second thought to me,” she responded.
“It only comes up in the minds of those who are truly racist, and that’s never people like me.
“I’m just observing that the dress is better on Kate. So, this racist thing is really old and tired, but I think it’s just people’s way of sort of saying ‘You must not criticise Meghan’.”
Former palace insider, Patrick Jephson – who spent eight years as Princess Diana’s private secretary – argued that the question of race is “entirely misleading.”
“It’s irrelevant and I would warn against anybody taking that line as any sort of explanation as to why Meghan sometimes doesn’t get the press she necessarily wants,” he told Karl.
Jephson also “strongly advised” Prince Harry against what Karl called “playing the racism card.”
“If you take that point of view then you’re going to miss perhaps some more relevant reasons to why Meghan isn’t as popular as she should be,” the royal insider said.
Hopkins made it clear that her dislike of Meghan stemmed from that fact that she had harmed Prince Harry’s reputation.
Why do you hate Meghan so much?” Karl asked her. “What has she ever done to you?”
WATCH: Karl Stefanovic’s 60 Minutes report on Meghan Markle is slammed
“Oh everything,” she responded. “It’s my royal family. This is my country. Prince Harry is my Prince Harry.”
Hopkins also referred to Meghan as a hypocrite.
“What does Meghan Markle do? Oh, we’ve got to save the planet. Oh, do one good thing every day. Blah blah blah blah blah. Then what does she do? Get on four private flights to wherever land at 400,000 pounds a week hire and then uses up half the CO2 emissions that anyone else might have had. It’s pure hypocrisy.
“And what is she really? She’s a no one. She’s a divorcee. When did we want a divorcee in the Royal family? She wears bad clothes. When did we ask for that? We’ve just got so much better of our own.”
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