Meghan Markle's best friend Jessica Mulroney defends actress ahead of Oprah interview

Mulroney praises her friend’s handling of ‘pressure, politics and press’

Meghan Markle’s best friend has spoken out in defence of the Duchess of Sussex ahead of her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Jessica Mulroney, a stylist and TV personality, spoke about the “pressure” Meghan had endured and said her friend had dealt with the situation with “kindness, empathy and love”.

Sharing an image of her with the Duchess on Instagram, Mulroney wrote: “I don’t know that anyone has ever had to deal with the pressure, the politics and the press like this woman.

“In the face of it all, I have never seen her waver from kindness, empathy and love.”

Recently, there were reports that the two women were no longer close after Mulroney became embroiled in controversy.

However, she denied the rumours on her Instagram in September last year, where she referred to Meghan as “family”.

“I’m going to tell this once and for all. Meghan and I are family. She is the kindest friend and has checked up on me everyday,” Mulroney wrote on her Instagram Story, according to People.

“Tabloid culture is atrocious. It creates lies and hurtful storyline. Stop feeding into it. Done.”

Last week, Buckingham Palace confirmed it would be investigating claims first reported by The Times on Tuesday about bullying at Kensington Palace.

A statement on Wednesday said: “Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article.”

Meghan has denied the claims and said she is “saddened” by the allegations.

Meghan and Harry have given an in-depth interview to Oprah, due to be aired on 7 March.

According to CBS, the interview will cover “everything from stepping into life as a royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work to how she is handling life under intense public pressure”.

Oprah with Meghan and Harry will be broadcast on ITV in the UK on Monday 8 March at 9pm, the day after it is shown in the US.