AUTHOR Emily Giffin has repeated an apology for saying Meghan Markle appeared “unmaternal” and “phony” in a video posted to celebrate son Archie’s birthday.
Giffin, who wrote 2005 bestseller Something Borrowed, was accused of racism over the comments after posting them to her Instagram last month.
The comments were made in response to a video in which the Duchess sat with Archie on his first birthday and read to him from children’s book Duck! Rabbit!
The clip was published by Save The Children as part of a campaign to help children and families struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Giffin later posted a screenshot of a text exchange with a friend in which she said Meghan “seemed so unnatural” and was “such a phony”.
She also posted a still from the video with the caption: “Happy birthday, Archie. Go away, Megan.”
Giffin apologised for the comments after a number of users branded them “racist”, and has now reiterated the retraction in an interview with the Associated Press.
“I need to be more careful about the impact of my words,” she said.
“It’s one thing to have legitimate criticism about someone, [but those criticisms] were not legitimate.
“They were just mean. I’m going to do better.”
Responding to her original post, one user said: “Undeniable racism seething out of every word.”
“How sad, pathetic and spiteful,” said another.
A third simply said: “Crazy and racist.”
In an apology issued shortly afterwards, Giffin said she had “absolutely loved that a biracial, American woman” had married into the Royal Family and been “appalled by signs of racism against her”.
“I can say from the bottom of my heart that my criticism of MEghan has never had anything to do with her race,” she said.
She said she could see how “some of my posts… could be construed as having racial undertones”.
“It was not my intent,” she wrote.
“But I understand that intent and impact are two very different things.”
In the AP, Giffin went on to say she thought people had become too quick to censure women who criticise others.
“I do think it’s OK that there’s this whole idea of is it ever OK to criticize one another?” she said.
“As women or as people, should we just never get to criticize?
“I don’t think we need to treat each other with kid gloves.
“Criticism is legitimate. But just that wasn’t the case with these comments.”
