Tatum O'Neal slams 'tacky' Meghan Markle Wimbledon drama: 'I wanted her to be the next Princess Diana'
A day after telling Meghan Markle to “go back to America” if she wants to enjoy a private life, Piers Morgan invited actress Tatum O’Neal on Good Morning Britain to get her thoughts on reports that royal staff asked Wimbledon spectators to not take photos of the duchess during her appearance at the London tennis tournament last week.
O’Neal, no stranger to tennis controversies thanks to her past marriage to John McEnroe, joined Morgan in criticizing Meghan during Wednesday’s show. She also compared the former actress to her late mother-in-law.
“It’s so upsetting to me, because if you think of Princess Diana and you think of how absolutely inclusive she was, she would never turn anyone away,” the Oscar winner said.
'You are a royal, you are not an actor. To have a bodyguard muscle, someone out, is so tacky.'
Actress @Tatum_Oneal says she finds controversy surrounding Meghan Markle's recent appearance at Wimbledon 'upsetting'. #GMB pic.twitter.com/kcGU5D5gkN— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) July 10, 2019
“I had so much hope for Meghan,” she continued, mispronouncing the royal’s name. “I wanted her to be the next Princess Diana and it seems like it’s all about her, and it’s really upsetting me.
“I love Harry,” she added, while Morgan noted that Meghan shouldn’t expect privacy while sitting in a “VIP box” as a royal.
“You’re a royal, you’re not an actor,” O’Neal agreed. “To have a bodyguard muscle somebody out, I just think is so tacky.”
An unnamed source associated with the All England Club, which hosts Wimbledon, told British paper The Times that “she was a nightmare” because she wore jeans — a Royal Box dress code violation, though Meghan reportedly never intended to sit in the designated royal area when she arrived to cheer on pal Serena Williams.
Though Kensington Palace has declined to comment on the drama, a royal source downplayed Meghan’s photo request to the Daily Mail.
“It's not uncommon for personal protection officers accompanying any members of the royal family to ask people not to take pictures so they can engage with people and events rather than camera phones,” the insider said.
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