A friend of Meghan Markle spilled the beans on how the British tabloid press is working to discredit the Duchess of Sussex. Actor Simon Rex said that he was once offered $70,000 to make ups stories and lie about his relationship with the former TV star.
Rex revealed the details of the offer in a podcast interview for Hollywood Raw. He said that a U.K. tabloid media wanted him to exaggerate his friendship with Meghan.
The Duchess of Sussex and Rex worked on the set of the TV show Cuts in 2005. The show didn't last long but Rex said he and Meghan hung out in a "very non-datey way" and they never even shared a kiss.
However, the British tabloid that offered the large sum of cash wanted Rex to claim that he had an actual romantic relationship with the duchess. This offer came right before Meghan was to marry Prince Harry and the tabloids reported her past relationships.
Rex said that he declined the offer because he didn't feel right about lying and messing up with the royal family. Besides, Rex said that the most he and Meghan shared together was a lunch that was not even a romantic set up as they were simply two actors working on the same show.
In 2018, The Sun exposed that Rex destroyed his chances of a romance with Meghan because she learned that he used to work as a porn star. Rex said that once this story hit the headlines, that's when the offer to lie about his connection to the duchess came.
Meghan said in a very heartfelt documentary that she didn't realize the power and clout of the British tabloid media until she was in a serious relationship with Prince Harry. The negative reports about her drove the Duke of Sussex to sue three news outlets in 2019.
Prince Harry and Meghan were also prompted to step back from their royal roles because of this intense media spotlight. Prince Harry also said that he cannot just sit by and let the press wage a ruthless campaign against his wife in the same way the tabloids treated his mother, Princess Diana.
By March 31, Prince Harry and Meghan will no longer be working royals. Thus, they will not be part of the royal rota of media people with supposedly exclusive access to the official activities of the royal family. This royal rota has been a huge issue for Prince Harry but the Sussexes can now say goodbye this part of their life soon.
