Today Extra presenter Sylvia
Jeffreys defended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after they
appeared alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales
at Windsor Castle on Saturday.This was despite the California-based couple’s supporters fearing they
might face a hostile reaction.
“I can’t help but think
that would have been a really threatening environment for Harry and Meghan, or
at least daunting,” Jeffreys said on Friday’s show.
She was speaking after Harry
and Meghan put on a united front alongside William and Kate as they met
grieving members of the public outside Windsor Castle following the death
of Queen Elizabeth II last Thursday.
Dressed in black, both couples
shook hands with members of the public and spoke to well-wishers who had
gathered outside the royal residence.
Jeffreys had earlier expressed
support for the Sussexes after the couple faced a backlash over the publication
of Prince Harry’s new memoir.
Some critics had slammed Harry
after reports claimed his autobiography will still be published as
planned later this year despite the death of the Queen.
However, it has since been
claimed the book’s publication has been delayed until 2023.
Responding to the criticism on
Wednesday, Jeffreys said the “negativity” the Sussexes had faced left
her physically ill.
“I am starting to feel
sick about the negativity around Harry and Meghan this time,” she said in
an interview with commentator and author Jane Caro.
“History is repeating in
so many ways with Harry, whose grief as a child was owned by others,” she
added, referring to the media frenzy that surrounded the death of Princess
Diana in August 1997, when the young prince was just 12 years old.
“Once again it is being
owned again, and he is being criticized for grieving in a way that others
aren’t happy about.”
