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Craig Charles: It’s disgusting what’s happening to Harry and Meghan

Jayne Cherrington-Cook
·3-min read
Craig Charles believes the constant criticism the royal pair have received is unjust (Image: Getty Images)
Craig Charles believes the constant criticism the royal pair have received is unjust (Image: Getty Images)

Craig Charles has condemned the "constant abuse" dished out to Harry and Meghan.

The actor was talking about their treatment on White Wine Question Time saying he doesn’t understand why people want to be so hurtful about the couple.

“I think it's disgusting really what's happened to Harry and Meghan,” he told podcast host Kate Thornton.

“I don't know the ins and outs of what their lives are or anything like that, but just the constant abuse they've received… is just unwarranted.

“I don't understand why they care so much about them to constantly slay them — and I think we've just missed an opportunity there about this.”

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Charles made his name as a political performance poet in the 1980s, when his poems talked about social injustices of the time, but he says he fears lending his support to Harry and Meghan in case he gets abuse online.

“I’ve kind of wanted to get involved really – but to be fair and honest, I haven't had the bottle and I don't want the payback,” he admitted.

Read more: Craig Charles recalls berating George Harrison and Ringo Starr at a dinner party

He continued: “I don't want the abuse. I don't want the Twitter trolls. I don't want all the hassle that comes with sticking your head over the parapet these days sometimes. As a younger man, I would have got right stuck in there!”

Charles blames his age for his lack of desire to get involved publicly with major issues.

Listen: Craig Charles reveals that he thought 'Robot Wars' would be the end of his career!

“Sometimes, I feel as though I'm settling into that paunchy middle-aged thing, where it's just like, ‘Why risk everything for an ideal?’” he told Thornton.

“As you get a bit older, I think you find a lot less things to be angry about, to be honest. I think you find that sometimes anger isn't really the best emotion for it.

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“You become numbed to the inequalities of life a lot of the time and I find that the older I get, I've got so many more questions than answers."

The TV star, who tells the podcast he will be reprising his role as in Red Dwarf soon, says that he hopes he’ll get his ‘bottle back and get stuck in again’ but believes that the constant criticism levelled at people on social media is unsustainable.

Craig wishes he was braver to defend people, like Harry and Meghan, who get lambasted by people on social media (Photo by DPPA/Sipa USA)
Craig wishes he was braver to defend people, like Harry and Meghan, who get lambasted by people on social media (Photo by DPPA/Sipa USA)

“We're not built for this constant criticism,” he exclaimed.

“Everyone talks about 1984, the novel by George Orwell, and the state being run by big brother. I think he got that all wrong. I think the state is run by little brother and it's the constant, constant tweets and the constant negativity of social media directed just towards one person and you know that the cancellation culture and stuff like that.

“I think the state has been run by little brother to be honest - and I think that's quite a dangerous thing!”

Hear Craig Charles talk about Robot Wars and why he thought it was the end of his career on the latest episode of White Wine Question Time. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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