Meghan Markle personally phoned Labour MP Holly Lynch to thank her for writing an open letter that 72 female politicians signed to support her over ‘distasteful’ coverage.
Politicians including Diane Abbott and Jess Phillips wrote to the Duchess of Sussex, saying they ‘stand with’ her and relate to her experience of negative coverage.
Ms Lynch, MP for Halifax in West Yorkshire, spearheaded the campaign and was stunned when Meghan called to thank her.
She told ITV: ‘She was calling to thank myself and other women MP for standing with her and sending the open letter to say that we, as women in public office, absolutely understand what she is going through.
‘Although in very different public roles, we stand with her in solidarity to say that we shouldn’t be tearing down women in public life through the press or otherwise, so she was pleased to have seen that letter.’
The letter, addressed to Meghan Markle (above) claimed that the MPs stood with her on her stance against the media
Halifax MP Holly Lynch tweeted out the letter to her followers earlier today
The letter was sent by Holly Lynch and claimed that the MPs ‘shared an understanding’ with the Duchess
She added that she was ‘very concerned’ about ‘incredibly sexist’ coverage of the Duchess.
‘She is here, she has married our prince, they got a young son, we want to welcome her to our society and I am afraid not all of the articles in our national press reflect that, and it’s time that stops,’ she said.
Holly Lynch MP (pictured) wrote a letter saying she and 71 other female MPs stand with Meghan
Others who also put their name to the letter included Liberal Democrat MP Angela Smith and Conservative MP Tracey Crouch.
The letter said that ‘as women MPs of all political persuasions’ the group wanted to ‘stand against’ stories they said were ‘often distasteful and misleading’ in a number of national newspapers across the UK.
It continued: ‘On occasions, stories and headlines have represented an invasion of your privacy and have sought to cast aspersions about your character, without any good reason as far as we can see.
‘Even more concerning still, we are calling out what can only be described as outdated, colonial undertones to some of these stories.
‘As women members of Parliament from all backgrounds, we stand with you in saying it cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.’
The letter addressed that even though the women held different lives in the public eye, that they shared an understanding of the ‘abuse and intimidation’ which is used as a means of ‘disparaging women in public office’ from getting on with their work.
‘We expect the national media to have the integrity to know when a story is in the national interest, and when it is seeking to tear a woman down for no apparent reason.
Tracey Crouch (left) and Stella Creasy (right) also signed the letter from female MPs
Earlier this month Ms Markle (above) launched legal action against the Mail on Sunday
‘You have our assurances that we stand with you in solidarity on this.
‘We will use the means at our disposal to ensure that our press accept your right to privacy and show respect, and that their stories reflect the truth.’
The letter from MPs comes after Prince Harry launched a tirade against the media during his recent ITV documentary.
Harry described the way he deals with the pressures of his life as being a matter of ‘constant management’, adding: ‘I thought I was out of the woods and then suddenly it all came back, and this is something that I have to manage.
‘Part of this job, and part of any job, like everybody, is putting on a brave face and turning a cheek to a lot of the stuff, but again, for me and again for my wife, of course there is a lot of stuff that hurts, especially when the majority of it is untrue.
‘But all we need to do is focus on being real, and focus on being the people that we are, and standing up for what we believe in.
He added: ‘I will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum.’
During the documentary he also highlighted the behaviour of the press and said it played a role in the public scrutiny that he and wife Meghan Markle have faced.
In his statement, Prince Harry said he and Meghan believed in ‘media freedom and objective, truthful reporting’ as a ‘cornerstone of democracy’.
However, he added that his wife had become a ‘victim’ of the tabloid press in a campaign he claimed had ‘escalated ruthlessly’.
He also said that there was a ‘human cost’ to such articles being published and said his wife was the ‘same person now as she was on our wedding day’.
Harry also said spoke about his struggles with mental health and how the death of his mother affected him
Earlier this month his wife Meghan launched legal action against the Mail on Sunday over a claim that the paper unlawfully published one of her private letters to her father Thomas.
The support from the MPs also comes as Ms Markle’s onscreen father Wendell Pierce offered his support to the former actress, saying that her mother Doria Ragland would have prepared her ‘for the ugly side of human nature.
Speaking to Susanna Reid on GMB this morning about the struggles of being in the spotlight, he urged that ‘millions care for her’ and revealed that in the last moment he had with the Duchess of Sussex, he told her: ‘Life is going to be very different.’
Discussing the backlash the Duchess received following the ITV interview in which she said she told Tom Bradby she was ‘not okay’, the actor added: ‘In those tough times just remember you have a lot of people who care about you.
‘And that you know, protocol, we’re probably not going to be in touch with each other as much as you think but just know you have a friend in me and that there will be a lot of people who care about you.’
Mr Pierce also spoke about the Duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland, as a woman who would have prepared to deal with difficult moments in life.
He said: ‘I’m sure that her mother raised her well, so prepared her for the ugly side of human nature like any women of colour would teach their child, just like my parents taught me.
Wendell Mr Pierce, 55, who is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, and played Robert Zane in the long running lawyer series, said Ms Markle’s mother would have prepared her for ‘the ugly side of human nature like any woman of colour would teach their child’
‘There are going to be people out there who do not have your best interest at heart but those are not the people you focus on, you focus away from them.’
Ending on an upbeat note, he joked that he would always be there to offer his support and said: ‘I’m her TV dad!’
Mr Pierce’s words came following the Duchess of Sussex’s divisive remarks during a documentary following the royal couple’s first official engagement in Africa this year.
Speaking to Mr Bradby, who asked how she was adapting to the pressures of being a royal, the Duchess admitted she was ‘not okay’.
She said: ‘Look, any woman especially when they are pregnant you’re really vulnerable and so that was made really challenging, and then when you have a new born, you know…
‘And especially as a woman, it’s a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mum or trying to be a newlywed.’