Royal Author Storms Out of Meghan Markle Debate

Royal biographer Angela Levin left a TV debate about Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand after being told: “You sound like a troll.”

Levin, author of 2018 book Harry: A Biography of a Prince, was confronted on Talk TV by presenter J.J. Anisiobi during a discussion about Meghan sending jars of her strawberry jam to her celebrity friends, who posted on social media about the gifts.

Among the recipients was Abigail Spencer, Meghan’s former Suits co-star, who was also close enough to the Duchess of Sussex to be interviewed on her Netflix show.

During their debate, over video link, Levin had painted Meghan as a domineering partner in her relationship with Harry, and said she dragged him along at royal engagements.

In a clip that went viral on X, formerly Twitter, Anisiobi told Levin: “It sounds like you’ve got a vendetta against Meghan Markle.

“Angela, with respect, you sound like a troll, you sound like a social-media troll. Everything you can point out that’s incorrect…”

Levin replied: “That’s very rude; you don’t call someone a troll with respect. That’s without respect. Let me talk about something else: Abigail Spencer who is also a friend of Meghan’s, she has given the sixth jar of jam, right? And we see her lying on the grass, hugging it with a dog close by.

“It was a very sort of set-up thing; that’s one when she’s sitting up. I thought how ridiculous; this is a jar of jam. Why are we getting hysterical about a jar of jam?”

“Who’s hysterical about it?” Anisiobi said. “It’s PR; she’s trying to sell something this is called advertising?”

“I know what PR is,” replied Levin.

The host said: “With respect, you clearly don’t. You’re saying it’s so set-up? It’s a PR stunt.”

“You’re here to fight me, so why don’t you say goodbye?” Levin said. “Thank you so much. You’re very rude. I don’t really listen. Goodbye.”

“I’m not here to fight you. I’m just laying out the truth to you,” Anisiobi said. “No, Angela, you don’t want to be challenged. You won’t be challenged, and you won’t be scrutinized.

“I’d like to know… Oh, and she’s gone. You see, this is what happens. When you challenge people, when you go to them and you say to them, here’s some facts, here’s some truths, some people don’t like it.

“If people can’t answer the truths, what do they do? They hang up,” Anisiobi said.

Newsweek contacted Angela Levin for comment.

Omid Scobie, author of royal biography Endgame, wrote on X: “LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL [laugh out loud]. Sorry but the royal beat is so unserious.”

U.K. commentator Narinder Kaur wrote: “Well done @jjanisiobi about time someone called her out. Angela Levin can dish it out but can’t take it.”

Media personality Ryan-Mark Parsons wrote: “Not handled well. Calling an elderly woman a ‘troll’ is totally unnecessary. Angela was making some valid points. The pathetic jam pot posts are utterly cringeworthy.”

Levin wrote her biography of Harry off the back of an exclusive interview she did with the prince for Newsweek in 2017, marking the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death.

However, since Harry and Meghan quit Britain for a new life in America in 2020, Levin has taken a more hostile line in relation to the Sussexes.

In June 2023, she took part in unfounded social-media speculation that Harry’s Heart of Invictus documentary had been canceled, writing: “Has Netflix cancelled Harry’s Invictus Games documentary? Hhhmmm.”

The show went ahead on the streaming platform two months later. In November 2022, Levin was criticized after replying to a photograph of Meghan with a post reading: “Look how white Meghan’s skin colour looks.”

Jack Royston is Newsweek‘s chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.

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