Prince Harry, Duke of Sus𝓈ℯ𝓍 and Meghan, Duchess of Sus𝓈ℯ𝓍 after a boat trip during the Invictus Games on September 6, 2022 in Dusseldorf, Germany. (Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)Facebook69TwitterRedditEmailsave

Piers Morgan is staying true to form in his latest criticism of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, trying to make something out of nothing as he continuously endeavors to sully their reputations.

The British media personality, known for his oft-inflammatory remarks about the Duke and Duchess of Sus𝓈ℯ𝓍, has once again taken the opportunity to paint them in a negative light, following the recent news that Kate Middleton has been undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer. Middleton late last week shared the announcement via a video statement, effectively quelling the deluge of rumors and conspiracy theories that fanned across the internet when she disappeared from the public eye in January following a planned major abdominal surgery.

Morgan’s gratuitous sensationalism … builds upon a pattern of Morgan’s ongoing obsession with slandering Markle.

A recent report from PEOPLE indicated that Harry and Meghan had privately reached out to the Prince and Princess of Wales, with whom they have a somewhat tense relationship, to express their support during an undoubtedly difficult time. “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace,” Harry and Meghan said in a statement shared with the outlet.

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Despite the seemingly innocuous nature of Harry and Meghan’s message, Morgan on Sunday took X/Twitter to respond to the news, in an apparent attempt to cast doubt on their efforts to be kind to a family member (albeit an estranged one) and spur baseless gossip by implying that they had leaked the report. “If it was done ‘privately’ then how do you know?” the commentator asked in a quote tweet of PEOPLE’s report, tacking on a skeptical-looking emoji wearing a monocle and a single, raised eyebrow.

The well-wishes, aside from simply serving as an extension of kindness to a relative during a difficult time, could also be understood as an effort to ameliorate previously fraught relations between Prince William and his younger brother. From Harry and Meghan’s stepping back from their role as senior members of the royal family in 2020, to their tell-all 2021 interview with Oprah — which delved into allegations of racism toward Markle and tabloid bias, amongst other things — to the couples’ bombshell six-part Netflix docuseries, to Harry’s revealing memoir, “Spare,” which largely detailed royal infighting, it’s safe to say the brothers have not been particularly close as of late.

Instead, Morgan’s gratuitous sensationalism not only detracts from the more pressing matter at hand — a woman and mother’s serious illness that she was effectively forced to share with the world in what has been characterized as a massive PR bungle — but also builds upon a pattern of Morgan’s ongoing obsession with slandering Markle.

In 2021, Morgan left the set of “Good Morning Britain” in a huff, ultimately departing from ITV altogether, after he was called out for making callous comments about Markle. During Harry and Meghan’s sit-down with Oprah, Markle disclosed that she had experienced persistent suicidal thoughts and was ultimately rebuffed by a senior royal when she sought inpatient care on the grounds that “it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”

“Who did you go to? What did they say to you? I’m sorry, I don’t believe a word she said, Meghan Markle,” Morgan said on the show. “I wouldn’t believe it if she read me a weather report.”

Morgan later returned to the show to make clear his “position on mental illness and on suicide.”

“These are clearly extremely serious things and should be taken extremely seriously and if someone is feeling that way they should get the treatment and the help they need every time,” he said. “And if they belong to an institution like the Royal family and they go and seek that help they should absolutely be given it.

“My real concern was a disbelief frankly,” he continued. “That she went to a senior member of the Royal household and told them she was suicidal and was told she could not have any help because it would be a bad look for the family. If that is true a) that person should be fired and b) the Royal family have serious questions that need to be answered.”

In March of 2021, Morgan published a lengthy opinion piece for The Mail to bemoan his unfounded hangups with the “delusional Duchess” and affirm that he believed Markle to be lying about having faced racism during her role as a member of the royal family.

“Meghan’s had no worse media treatment than other Royal brides such as Diana, Fergie, Kate, Camilla or even that other Monarchy-rattling American divorcee, Wallis Simpson,” Morgan wrote. “But she’s the first to claim negative press has been motivated by racism, and it’s a very dangerous charge to make with so little to back it up.”

“She’s just one of many whiny, privileged, hypocritical celebrities who now cynically exploit victimhood to suppress free speech, value their own version of the truth above the actual truth, and seek to cancel anyone that deviates from their woke worldview or who dares to challenge the veracity of their inflammatory statements,” Morgan added.

“No, it’s about a far bigger issue than one delusional Duchess . . . As Winston Churchill said: ‘Some people’s idea of it [free speech] is that they are free to say what they like but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage.'”

In 2022, Morgan hosted ex-president Donald Trump on his show, “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” during which time the two conservative figures discussed their shared distaste for Harry and Meghan. “I won’t use the full expression, but Harry is whipped like no person I think I’ve ever seen,” Trump said at the time. “I’m not a fan of Meghan, I’m not a fan, and I wasn’t, right from the beginning. I think poor Harry is being led around by his nose.”

Regardless of Morgan’s motivations in taking shots at Markle this time around, it’s clear that it’s unwarranted. By misconstruing and intentionally maligning the extension of a metaphorical olive branch from one beleaguered royal couple to another, it’s all the more likely that he only sought to add on to and exacerbate the already unfortunate and bleak legacy of #KateGate with his own agenda.