GB News host Simon McCoy erupted in laughter when a statement by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle about the growing crisis in Afghanistan was referenced live on air.
The 59-year-old broadcaster, who used to work for the BBC, found himself unable to resist laughing as co-star Kirsty Gallacher, 45, brought up a statement released by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Prince Harry, 36 – who served in Afghanistan – and his 40-year-old wife posted a lengthy message on Instagram on Tuesday as the world watched in horror as US forces fled from Afghanistan and the Taliban swiftly swooped in and seized control of the country.
Simon and Kirsty referenced the Duke and Duchess’s statement as they prepared to interview a royal biographer named Angela Levin on Wednesday.
Kirsty began: “Now, Harry and Meghan have broken their silence to say they are speechless about the situation in Afghanistan.”
But the former Sky Sports pundit was interrupted as Simon laughed out loud uncontrollably.
Simon explained: “Sorry, only they would break their silence to tell us they are speechless.”
Simon went on to mock Prince Harry and Meghan as he engaged in conversation with Angela – ridiculing them for commenting on global struggles while they sat in comfort in their $14,650,000 (£10,640,000) home in California.
He said: “Angela, sorry but Prince Harry obviously knows better than most of us what’s gone on, what’s at stake and what the risks are but it’s a bit rich from the Duke and Duchess of Montecito to be telling us the world is in a mess.”
Angela concurred, but said: “Well yes, I wrote his biography a few years ago and actually he talked endlessly about Afghanistan and how he had to fight to get there and the front line.”
Harry and Meghan have been savaged by many after they released their lengthy statement on Instagram via their shared Archewell account.
The pair posted that they had “a message” to share, alongside a collage of photos of themselves in army gear.
Snaps showed the Prince during his time as a serving member of the British Army – while photos of Meghan showed her meeting with American troops.
Their long statement read: “The world is exceptionally fragile right now. As we all feel the many layers of pain due to the situation in Afghanistan, we are left speechless.
“As we all watch the growing humanitarian disaster in Haiti, and the threat of it worsening after last weekend’s earthquake, we are left heartbroken.
“And as we all witness the continuing global health crisis, exacerbated by new variants and constant misinformation, we are left scared.
“When any person or community suffers, a piece of each of us does so with them, whether we realize it or not. “And though we are not meant to live in a state of suffering, we, as a people, are being conditioned to accept it. It’s easy to find ourselves feeling powerless, but we can put our values into action — together.
“To start, we encourage you to join us in supporting a number of organizations doing critical work. We also urge those in positions of global influence to rapidly advance the humanitarian dialogues that are expected to take place this fall at multilateral gatherings such as the U.N. General Assembly and the G20 Leaders’ Summit.”
They concluded: “As an international community, it is the decisions we make now — to alleviate suffering among those we know and those we may never meet — that will prove our humanity.”
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But the pair have been slammed for their comment – with some questioning if they were utilising the crisis in Afghanistan for a publicity stunt of their own.
One follower questioned: “Why the photographs?” – while another begged: “Please stay speechless.”
And another blasted: “When you sit in a $ 16 million mansion and ‘sympathize’ with people who have lost their homes or run away from them to avoid being killed - that's the hypocrisy of rich people.”
