This week, on a live show, a British news host apologized publicly after she was being criticized for repeating a wrong claim about the mother of Meghan Markle, Doria Ragland. Carole Malone of GB News, after her on-air statement in which she said that Ragland had been in prison, issued a retraction and said that the remarks were based on a hoax.
The scandal blew up on December 4, 2025, when Malone, during a segment on Britain's Newsroom, spoke of Meghan Markle being fathered by Thomas Markle, and that her mother was "in jail." According to Malone, her understanding was derived from the online reports, but she did not have any verified sources to support her claim. Her comment was immediately challenged by her co-host and later widely shared on social media, thus provoking a strong reaction from the viewers and critics who pointed out that Ragland had never been in jail, but was completely engaged as a psychologist, in the community as well as in the media.
Malone, on December 15, apologized for her mistake in the aired show and called it a "genuine error". She further admits that Doria Ragland "raised her daughter and has never been in jail or prison". She regretfully apologizes to Ragland and her family for any inconvenience her comments might have caused. GB News anchor Andrew Pierce, on behalf of the network, also apologizes and says the broadcaster wishes to correct the record.
The incident came while the media was once again focusing on the troubled relationship between Markle and her father, Thomas, who recently had to undergo emergency surgery in the Philippines. On the other hand, critics argued that the context does not justify the false statement about her mother.
The Duchess of Sussex's spokesperson, while speaking to the media, said that the fake claim against the Duchess "was certainly debunked over two years ago" and accused the network of issuing the apology only after the defamation threat had been taken into account. He also said that GB News had deleted posts from its social media within 24 hours in which the apology was issued.
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