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Reverend Al Sharpton defends Meghan Markle

Civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton, defends Meghan Markle saying she was turned into "a symbol" but that it was "not of her own making".

Credit: GMB Via Twitter / 'Good Morning Britain / ITV

Video transcript

- There was a big fallout when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left the UK, lots of discussion, Reverend Sharpton, about racism within the media, the accusations that they made towards the coverage that she had faced as part of the royal family, and the newer, very outspoken and critical of Jeremy Clarkson's column that he put in again, in another national newspaper. He's since apologized to them profusely and tried to explain his scenario. I wonder what your take on that situation was, what Harry and Meghan Markle said that they were facing and the reaction of the UK media to that relationship.

AL SHARPTON: You know, I think that when-- when they were married, it was a beautiful day.

- Right.

AL SHARPTON: And people were celebrating how you saw this woman of color now in the royal family, gospel songs sent there-- sung at the ceremony, the queen sitting there. And then the reaction was so-- so much acrimony and-- and just looking to treat her differently. And people, whether you're in the UK or around the world that was always treated differently understood what Meghan was going through.

It was somebody Black working in the suite-- C suites for the first time. And they treat you differently. Or someone walking down the street-- and I think she became a symbol not of her own making. When you see the-- the kind of-- of mean spirited article this guy wrote for no reason, drag her through the streets and all.

Yeah, fine. You can apologize. And many of us have said things, not at that level, that we could apologize for. But what makes you feel that you can say that in the first place?