Clooney: Be kinder to Meghan
Family friend George calls on her critics to ease off
HE has been tipped as a possible godfather for the newest member of the Royal Family.
And yesterday George Clooney intervened on behalf of the Duchess of Sussex, calling for ‘kinder’ treatment of the new mother.
The Hollywood star said scrutiny of the former actress had gone ‘into a really dark place’ and urged critics to ease off.
‘She’s a young woman who’s just had a baby,’ he added.
Clooney, 58, said it was inevitable that interest in Harry and Meghan would intensify following the birth of their baby and acknowledged that media coverage was a fact of life for the Royal Family. He has previously claimed the duchess was ‘pursued, vilified and chased’ during her pregnancy, comparing her treatment to that of Princess Diana.
That intervention in February came after friends of the duchess spoke to a US magazine about her troubled relationship with her father Thomas Markle.
Clooney was asked about media interest in Meghan during an appearance at the Los Angeles premiere yesterday of his TV adaptation of Catch-22.
‘I think it’ll intensify it, of course,’ he said. ‘But it’s never about the media following you around because if you’re a royal, that’s part of what you have to do.
‘It’s the other versions of it: going to interview people’s parents, that kind of stuff, that it starts to step into a really dark place. It just, sort of, the Press turned on them and I think people should be a little kinder. She’s ... just had a baby.’
The star, who has laughed off suggestions he could become a royal godfather, shares a birthday with Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. He joked: ‘I was a little irritated because that kid really is stealing my thunder.’
Clooney and wife Amal were guests at Harry and Meghan’s wedding and hosted them for four days at their Italian retreat on Lake Como. The pair have twins, Ella and Alexander, who are almost two, and live near the Sussexes at Sonning-on-Thames.
One of Meghan’s close friends – US CBS news anchor Gayle King – arrived in Britain yesterday to see the new arrival. The couple had insisted on CBS being at the unveiling of Archie yesterday.
Miss King’s ‘royal special’ is due to be broadcast in the US to coincide with the couple’s first wedding anniversary on May 19.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace’s attempts to note the birth on its official website were marred by a howler. Archie was referred to as the child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are his uncle William and aunt Kate. The page was corrected but only after it had gone live and drawn much mockery.