An interview this morning on MSNBC about the British royal family took a bizarre turn when a guest referred to Meghan Markle as “five clicks up from trailer trash.”
The video, which has since gone viral, showed journalist Victoria Mather being interviewed from NBC’s London bureau about the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry’s return to the U.K. after their decision to step back from royal duties.
Mather told anchor Lindsey Reiser that the British public had soured on former Suits actress Meghan because she tried to “disrespect” Queen Elizabeth II.
“I think what has really, really upset the British public is that Meghan Markle, who many people consider as only, you know, five clicks up from trailer trash, has actually tried to disrespect the queen,” Mather said. “And the queen is the most respected person, most respected woman, in the world.”
Reiser appeared perplexed by her comments and quickly ended the interview.
Mather’s bio on Twitter says she is travel editor of Vanity Fair. However, Buzzfeed reports she left the magazine in 2018 and currently works for Air Mail, which was founded by former Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter. Vanity Fair’s parent company, Condé Nast, did not immediately respond to Deadline’s request for comment.
Mather has been heavily criticized on social media, with Twitter users calling her comments “racist” and “disgusting.”
One person described the interview on Twitter as “complete validation Meghan and Harry made the right choice to leave the royal family.”
The duke and duchess returned to the U.K. this week to complete their final official royal duties after moving to Canada. On Saturday they attended the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
In January, they made their stunning exit announcement, saying: “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.”
Their statement came after the couple sued British tabloid Mail on Sunday in October, accusing the paper of publishing “false” and “derogatory stories” about Meghan.
That same month, Meghan fought back tears during an ITV interview as she discussed her struggles with the pressures of royal life, coupled with being a new mom and dealing with the intense media scrutiny in the U.K.