It doesn’t take much for people to get mad at Meghan Markle, does it? Ever since her engagement to Prince Harry in 2017, ascending from Suits star to member of the British royal family, Meghan has been unfairly accused of being a master manipulator. Initially, her job as an actress was used by her critics who disliked her celebrity, her American-ness, to prove that she was cunningly worming her way into the royal family. Later, following the couple’s departure from the UK, it took on new meaning: that she was a deceitful liar not to be trusted.

Meghan’s accusers re-emerged this week, thanks to comments she made two years ago about her 2017 engagement interview with the BBC. When it was announced that the couple were due to be wed, Harry and Meghan sat down for a cheery interview with BBC News presenter Mishal Husain, where the couple spoke about their intention to remain working in the UK.

Of course, a lot changed in the years that followed. Harry and Meghan married in May 2018, then departed the royal family – and the UK – two years later. In their 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, Meghan claimed that the whole interview had been heavily ‘rehearsed’, leading to it feeling like an ‘orchestrated reality show’. She claimed that she was asked the questions beforehand, and that they would be asked to show the ring to the camera. ‘My point is we weren’t allowed to tell our story because they didn’t want [it],’ she said.

But when Mishal was recently asked about the interview by Saga magazine, she presented a different version of events. Admitting that she ‘didn’t know what to make’ of Meghan’s comments at the time, she said, ‘What I remember about that day was two people who were excited about their engagement and in love. They seemed to have thought through what their new lives would be like and what marriage would mean for her life in particular. There was nothing that pointed to what would happen. It was two people who were full of joy in each other and life.’

It’s not the first time Mishal has spoken about Meghan’s comments. When the Netflix documentary aired, her co-host on Radio 4’s Today show Justin Webb joked that Mishal had been the ‘orchestrator’ in the interview. Laughing, she replied, ‘We know recollections may vary on this particular subject, but my recollection is definitely very much: asked to do an interview and do said interview.’

Mishal’s response is nothing new. And she’s right – recollections may vary when it comes to memory. There are facts, of course, but feelings are subjective. Yet because it’s Meghan, the moment any public figure says anything mildly disparaging towards her, it’s leapt upon by her critics and used as quote-unquote proof that Meghan is a liar. On his YouTube channel, presenter Dan Wootton said it was Meghan who had ‘lied’ about the interview, while royal biographer claimed that she’s heard from ‘friends’ that it was Meghan who had been difficult and only wanted specific questions during the interview. ‘If only more people would speak out. Markle is a serial liar,’ one post on X (formerly Twitter) read.

It’s unpleasant, but not controversial to say that many people dislike the Duchess of Sussex – just take a look at social media. As a result, there has been a concerted effort in recent years to disprove any claims she makes that paint her in a more favourable light; a suggestion that other people are allowed to talk about her, constantly, yet whenever she says something about herself it’s untrue.

Take the infamous argument between Meghan and Kate Middleton in the run-up to Meghan’s wedding.The tabloids initially reported that Meghan had made Kate cry, but in her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said that it had actually been the reverse. ‘What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only I didn’t do. At the time, people were quick to call out Meghan, claiming she was lying in the interview. When Harry released his memoir Spare in 2023, he even cited alleged texts between Meghan and Kate at the time. It wasn’t enough.

Other, arguably darker, allegations were made about Meghan’s so-called lies during the Oprah interview. During their sit down with the presenter, the couple claimed that a senior member of the royal family had made comments about the skin colour of their then-unborn child, Archie. At the time, people were quick to deny her experiences once again, with articles at the time listing the couple’s ‘10 biggest lies’ from the interview.

The downplaying of anyone’s recollection of events and feelings is never a good look. But it’s never Harry alone who gets the blame. It’s Meghan; always Meghan. Even when her stories are corroborated by her husband, as Harry did in both the Oprah interview and in Spare, he’s the ones listened to. You don’t have to like Meghan Markle – although I’d argue interrogating any personal hatred is a good thing – but when it comes to her experiences, she deserves to be heard out.