Channel Nine presenter Karl Stefanovic took aim at the Duchess of Sussex again after reports about her continued jibes at the royals taking a toll on the Queen.
Calling the former actress a ‘D-grade celebrity,’ the Australian host spoke out during a live cross with 9News correspondent Tracy Vo, who was reporting from Manchester, England, where Prince Harry and Meghan were set to attend a youth summit.
Vo summarized the couple’s itinerary in Europe and added that there were ‘no official plans’ for them to meet the Queen or Prince Charles or the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
“Ita Buttrose (ABC chair) said they’ve turned into D-grade celebrities. That’s about right, isn’t it?” Stefanovic said.
“Well, we’ve been hearing here locally as well, guys, that some people say they’re not welcome here,” Vo responded.
“There’s a real divide in that support for Prince Harry and Meghan, so we’ll see how tomorrow pans out.”
Buttrose clarified that she did not call the Sussexes ‘D-grade’ celebrities during her appearance on Studio 10, explaining that she did mention Meghan was ‘just a celebrity.’
“I don’t want to be unkind, but she’s just a celebrity. There’s nothing wrong with being a celebrity, but she’s one of many – whereas once, she was a princess of the realm. (Now) she goes on about her business of being a celebrity,” she said.
Speaking to The Daily Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers about the Sussexes’ security row during their UK trip, Today co-host Allison Langdon suggested Harry and Meghan were to blamed for the protection fears after criticizing the Royal Family and making themselves controversial figures.
“Is security tight because Meghan dumped on the Royal Family again and people aren’t happy?” she asked.
Myers then said that it was more likely the Sussexes’ ‘paranoia’ was behind their push for additional security but Langdon said: “I think it’s only unsafe for them because they keep unloading, don’t they?”
Harry and Meghan are set to appear at events in London and Manchester, and also in Germany to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games.
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