MPs sign letter to Duchess of Sussex calling out 'outdated, colonial undertones' in reporting about her

  • Video report by ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship

A group of 72 MPs have written a letter of solidarity to the Duchess of Sussex over what they call the "outdated, colonial undertones" to many of the newspaper stories about her.

The Members of Parliament, who are all female, say they are from "all political persuasions" and have signed a public letter to Meghan because they want to take a stand against the "distasteful and misleading nature" of some of the media coverage about hes since she got engaged to Prince Harry in 2017.

They told the duchess the stories published have, on occasions, represented an "invasion of your privacy" and, as women in public life, they wrote that they share an understanding of the "abuse and intimidation" which is often used to disparage their work.

Often, the MPs write, the national media has been seeking to "tear women down for no apparent reason".

The letter originated from the Labour MP, Holly Lynch, but she has encouraged dozens of her colleagues from Labour and Conservative benches to become signatories.

Ms Lynch said: "Women MPs from all political parties have put aside our differences to stand in solidarity with the Duchess of Sussex today and are sending her this open letter."

The duchess and husband Harry have faced a raft of media reporting about them. Credit: PA

It follows the ITV documentary earlier this month in which Meghan told ITV News presenter Tom Brady she has been struggling to adapt to life in the royal family.

The duchess told the programme the intense tabloid coverage, which she hadn't expected, had not been fair.

The Assistant Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, Angela Williams, retweeted the letter from Ms Lynch and said it was "very powerful" and showed "ladies in public life" were "standing shoulder to shoulder to support one another".

The letter was also shared on Twitter by Meghan's close friend Jessica Mulroney who wrote: "This is what I'm talking about", along with a heart emoji.

The Canadian stylist has been vocal in her support of the duchess in the past, recently hitting out at the royal's critics, calling them "racist bullies".