BASINGSTOKE’S MP has described the issues discussed by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry for the first time publicly in their interview with Oprah as ‘incredibly sad’, but says she’s ‘not surprised’.

The Gazette asked Maria Miller whether she supports calls for Buckingham Palace to investigate the couple’s claims of racism, and how this interview has changed her, and the wider public’s, perception of the monarchy.

Commenting after the interview aired on ITV, Mrs Miller said: “It is incredibly sad to hear about the pressure and mental health problems experienced by Meghan and Harry in recent years as a result of their prominent public roles.

“It is unfortunately no surprise that a women of mixed race, particularly if she is in the public eye, would be on the receiving end of racist abuse.

“Anonymised allegations of racist comments made within a family are difficult to comment on but this wider experience of racist abuse should be troubling for us all and has to be called out.”