Andrew Pierce rows with professor who claims Meghan and Harry are "bullied by the press"

11 January 2020, 08:01

Andrew Pierce got into a heated row with a journalism professor who thinks Meghan and Harry have been bullied by the national press.

Brian Cathcart, Professor of Journalist at Kingston University, said: "For me, this isn't really a story about what Prince Harry gets up to and so forth. It's mostly a story about bad journalism, about bullying in this playground, as I say, and a good instance of it is this assumption that the Queen wasn't told."

He suggested that it was unnamed sources saying it.

Andrew Pierce insisted that the Queen was not told.

They then disagreed over whether the Queen had been blindsided or not.

Professor Cathcard then said: "Do you want to interview me?"

Andrew Pierce replied: "Yes, I do. I'd like you to come up with some facts though."

Cathcart said: "Most of what is written about the royal family is speculative.

"What we see is a series of images designed and shaped by various people to influence our view. So, the picture we're given of Harry now, it used to be a picture of a nice, interesting, appealing young man.

"It's now somebody who is mentally unstable and is being bullied by a an American foreign wife who happens to be mixed race. That's the picture we're being given and that is a contrivance of people like you and people like the national press.

"This is bullying that's going on. They are being bullied and we're being being presented with a simple, straightforward picture that is, at best speculative, I don't know these people."

They then discussed the coverage of Meghan Markle and associating her avocado consumption with deforestation.

He said: "How desperate is the Mail to smear this woman?"

The pair continued to argue.

Andrew Pierce said: "Professor, I know exactly what you are what you think."

Cathcart replied: " You are a very insulting man, aren't you?"

You can watch the full spat at the top.