TV host Billy Bush has sparked backlash after describing tensions among Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and other members of the royal family as “delicious” during a segment about Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
The former CBS host, who is now the host of Extra, made the comments while speaking to Gayle King during a segment filmed in London on Monday, the day of the Queen’s state funeral.
After discussing the attendance of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ two eldest children at the funeral, Bush turned his attention to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and the “drama” he claims is associated with the couple’s return to the UK.
“Then you’ve got, you know, Harry in his morning suit. You know, there’s a lot of drama there. To me, that drama… is delicious in a way. It’s like we can’t stop consuming them,” the Extra host said, in what appeared to partly be a reference to the conversations among the royal family about whether Harry would wear his military uniform for the ceremonial events. Bush then asked King what she “made” of the interactions she saw between Prince Harry and his family in the days following the Queen’s death and on the day of the funeral.
In response, the CBS host said that “there have been efforts on both sides to sort of make this right”.
“We shall see. Big families always go through drama, always go through turmoil. It remains to be seen - are they going to be drawn closer together or are they going to be drawn apart? I have no idea, I have no inside information on that, but I will tell you this: It was good to see Harry standing with his family,” she said.
On social media, the segment has been met with criticism, with some condemning Bush’s use of the word “delicious” to describe the strained relationships between Prince Harry and members of the royal family, such as his elder brother Prince William and his father King Charles III.
“It is Billy Bush’s comment that upsets me. ‘Drama is delicious.’ Drama is not. I say let them work it out,” one person tweeted. “It will take work and commitment. I believe they can do it.”
On YouTube, viewers also called out Bush’s comment, with another person noting that “of course drama is delicious for the tabloids and for everyone as long as it is not the drama of your family that is publicly exposed”.
Other viewers were critical of King’s comments about Harry and the royal family, as many claimed the TV host had a role in fueling the tensions, which first came to light when the duke and duchess announced their decision to step back from their roles as senior royals and relocate to California.
King, a close friend of Oprah Winfrey and Harry and Meghan, also used her platform to highlight the concerns laid out by the royal couple during their wide-ranging interview with the former talk-show host in 2021.
“I’m so sick of Gayle King and Oprah exploiting this situation while the family is desperately trying to grieve. I’m so sick of you Gayle King,” one person tweeted, while another said: “@GayleKing you have a lot of nerve talking about Meghan and Harry, after what your buddy tried to do to the royal family. I bet they booed you in the UK. Only way to get front headlines is to keep posting the fight between families.”
According to someone else, King’s continued discussions about the status of the royal family’s relationships may only make the tensions worse. “People like Gayle King make it worse. It’s exactly [people] like Gayle King why the royal family doesn’t trust Harry and Meghan. When there’s no trust, there’s no reconciliation,” they tweeted.
“Imagine doing everything you can to cause a monumental rift and then acting like you genuinely care about a reconciliation. Go away Gayle and Oprah!” another person wrote.
During the 10-day mourning period following the Queen’s death on 8 September, Harry and Meghan spent a significant amount of time with the royal family, with the couple publicly reunited with William and Kate when the foursome walked outside Windsor Castle to view floral tributes to the late monarch.
The family also came together on Monday for the monarch’s state funeral, which saw Prince Harry and Meghan seated behind other members of the royal family during a service in Westminster Abbey, while the couple was later seated alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales during a smaller service in St George’s Chapel.
On the day of the funeral, Harry also stood alongside his brother as they walked in a procession behind their grandmother’s coffin.
