She has receipts! Meghan Markle’s longtime friend Janina Gavankar weighed in on the claims that the Duchess of Sussex made about the British royal family in her CBS tell-all interview with Prince Harry.
“After reading this short statement that came out from Buckingham Palace today, I thought two things,” the True Blood alum, 40, said on ITV’s This Morning on Wednesday, March 10, after Queen Elizabeth II addressed the couple’s “concerning” comments. “I’m so thankful that they are finally acknowledging the experience, but on the other side, I know that the family and staff were well aware of the extent of it. And though their recollections may vary, ours don’t because we lived through it with them. And there are many emails and texts to support that.”
While Gavankar acknowledged that she does not know how many people in the institution were aware of what Meghan, 39, and Harry, 36, went through behind palace doors, she asserted that “the family and the staff knew.”
At times, the former League star declined to comment further on Meghan’s allegations, saying she would prefer to let the Suits alum speak for herself. However, she made sure to note that she got Meghan and Harry’s blessing to go on TV to discuss their headline-making Sunday, March 7, interview.
“I talk to them all of the time. We watched the special together, actually,” Gavankar revealed on the U.K. show. “We’re all happy we are in a new era. You know, we get to tell the truth. Things are different now.”
On Sunday, the Archewell cofounders shared their truth during an eye-opening sit-down that covered everything from their step back from royal duties to the disparaging stories about Meghan in the British press. The pair also claimed that a member of the royal family had “concerns” about how “dark” their now-22-month-old son Archie’s skin would be.
Buckingham Palace responded to the interview on Tuesday, March 9, in a statement to Us Weekly that read, “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
The tell-all aired just days after two palace advisers accused Meghan of bullying them during her time in London. The former actress denied the allegations, calling them an “attack on her character,” while the queen, 94, said the palace’s HR team would investigate the accusations.
Gavankar threw her support behind Meghan on Wednesday, saying on This Morning, “I have known her for 17 years, and I have seen the way that she regards the people around her and the people she works with, and I can say that she is not a bully.”
