Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby made a surprise intervention defending Meghan Markle and Prince Harry this week.
WATCH: Meghan Markle says she is ‘not okay’
The Archbishop said the Duchess of Sussex was someone of “profound humanity and deep concern for people,” according to MailOnline.
“They (the royal family) are born into it and one of the things, with the great privilege of meeting some of them, that I’m most aware of is their sheer sense of duty and commitment, which means they know this is a life sentence,” he continued.
“Even if they decided to withdraw from public life and never take any money and disappear, they would still be pursued because they’d be the ex-you know Duke of Rock or whatever,” he stated.
“It is genuinely a life sentence.”
The Archbishop – who officiated Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding in 2018 – also confessed he was concerned about the alleged racist treatment of Meghan in some aspects.
“I would obviously be immensely concerned about all racist behaviour and, particularly when it’s someone you know, you just think this is so totally undeserved,” he said. “These sort of portrayals of her you sometimes see.”
“She’s a person of profound humanity, and deep concern for people, seeking to carry out her role with every ounce of her being, and I think she’s a remarkable person.”
Last week, Meghan and Harry announced they will be taking an unusual six-week break to regroup over Christmas and will forgo the Royal Family Christmas at Sandringham.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are looking forward to extended family time towards the end of this month,” Buckingham Palace announced in a statement to royal correspondent Omid Scobie.
“Having spent the last two Christmases at Sandringham, [the couple] will spend the holiday this year, as a new family, with the Duchess’ mother Doria.”
The statement went on to say that the couple have to full support of the Her Majesty.
“This decision is in line with precedent set previously by other members of the Royal Family, and has the support of Her Majesty The Queen.”
So far it has been assumed that the couple will be spending that time in Los Angeles, however, due to the Palace not releasing any details of their Christmas itinerary, it is entirely possible that Doria – a yoga instructor – will join her daughter, grandson and son-in-law at their home in Windsor.
This year will mark only the second time the Duke of Sussex has spent his Christmas away from Sandringham.
In 2012, the Duke of Sussex was serving in Afghanistan over the Christmas period.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is one of the only people to throw their support behind the royal couple’s decision to take the break, as many believe it shows there is a “deep rift” between the Sussexes and the royal family.
