Meghan Markle's loyal friends are opening up about the Duchess of Sussex in a new special hosted by CBS News' Gayle King.
Meghan Markle's loyal friends are opening up about the Duchess of Sussex in a new special hosted by CBS News' Gayle King, titled Meghan and Harry Plus One.
In a preview of the special -- which takes a look back at Markle and husband Prince Harry's first year of marriage and their life with newborn son Archie -- negative headlines about Markle are addressed, including rumors about her being difficult or having a diva attitude. Markle's makeup artist and close friend, Daniel Martin, fiercely shoots down the reports.
"What’s so frustrating is that you hear these stories and there’s no truth to them," Martin says. “It’s not the same person. In the years I’ve known her, the years I've worked with her, she's never had a diva fit, never."
Martin later sheds tears, getting visibly emotional.
"I think because I know her so well, and I know she doesn’t deserve all of this negative press," he explains.
Meanwhile, another one of her friends, actress Janina Gavankar, talks about the significance of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex having a child together. Archie, who's seventh in line to the throne, has already made history as the first British-American, biracial baby born into the British royal family.
"There are still a lot of us who didn't even grow up with dolls that look like us," Gavankar tells King.
"I was one of those little girls," King replies.
Meghan and Harry Plus One airs Friday, May 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
ET spoke to King -- who attended Markle's star-studded baby shower in February -- at CBS' Upfront presentation in New York on Wednesday, where she talked about the upcoming special.
"I learned [that] they're two people in love, we all knew that," King said. "But they have a baby coming in the first year and I think everybody loves a good love story. Meghan's had some knocks in the media in the U.K., that's certainly not the case here. So we're going to hear from her friends who know her well, who were at her wedding. They're not trying to defend her, but they just want people to know that there's a whole different side to her that people don't know."
"But at the end of the day, these two are very united and very strong and the baby just sort of adds to all of that," she continued. "And who doesn't love a good baby story?!"
For the latest on Markle, watch the video below:
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