LONDON – British television personality Piers Morgan was acquitted on Wednesday by the UK regulator of criticizing Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, following her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Mr Morgan has been investigated by Ofcom, which received a record number of complaints in March after criticizing Meghan.
In a 97-page judgment setting out the decision, Ofcom said that “Mr. Morgan had the right to say that he did not believe the claims of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and held and expressed strong views that rigorously challenged their portrayals.
In an interview aired in March, Meghan – a biracial former actress from the United States, famous for her role in the legal drama “Suits” and her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018 – told Ms. Winfrey this when she was with her first child was pregnant, an unnamed member of the royal household voiced concerns about how dark the baby’s skin would be. Meghan also said palace officials turned down her requests for mental health treatment when she said she was suicidal.
In response to ITV’s “Good Morning Britain” on Meghan’s claims, Mr. Morgan, who previously hosted the daytime show, said he did not believe the Duchess. More than 50,000 complaints about his criticism have been filed with the UK media regulator, including one from Meghan herself.
Mr. Morgan stormed off the set of the show and later resigned after his co-host Alex Beresford admonished him for his persistent criticism of Meghan. Ofcom announced the next day that it had opened an investigation into Mr. Morgan’s comments under its “Damage and Libel Rules”.
On Wednesday, Mr Morgan expressed his delight on Twitter at the decision to acquit him, saying it was a “resounding victory for freedom of expression and a resounding defeat for Princess Pinocchios”.
In an opinion piece he wrote in response to Ofcom’s decision to work for The Daily Mail, Mr Morgan wrote: “Make no mistake, this is a turning point in the fight for freedom of expression. If Ofcom had decided against me, it would have signaled the end of any British television journalist’s right to air any honest opinion lest it anger Meghan Markle.