Bethenny Frankel Calls Out 'Sanctimonious' Meghan Markle

Bethenny Frankel is tired of hearing Meghan Markle’s complaints about her life as a member of the royal family. In a new episode of her podcast, Just B With Bethenny Frankel, titled “The Real Housewife of Buckingham Palace,” the 51-year-old former Real Housewives of New York City star specifically called out the Duchess of Sussex in light of her most recent interview about the royals.

She compared Markle to a former Housewives star who stepped away and then is “Always talking about the very thing you’re trying to extricate yourself from. I want to separate myself from the royal family. I was treated horribly… I want my privacy, but I want my podcast. I want my privacy, but I want a Netflix special.”

Frankel told Markle to “Let it go, Elsa. Move forward, create change in the future and leave that family behind because it’s only creating more drama for your husband.”

Frankel added that if Markle were on the Bravo series, the producers would have some tips for her.

“She’s very much like a Housewife in that she can’t stop talking about the very thing that she wants to be irrelevant. If she were on the show, the producers would say, ‘Stop talking about security and the state of Frogmore cottage. It’s not relatable,'” Frankel said. “Most people don’t have a security detail so while that may be a real concern for you, it’s just not something that really is gonna play to this audience.”

The businesswoman added that she has a problem with how Markle speaks about these topics in interviews.

“I think people don’t like Meghan Markle because I think she talks down to other people. I think she’s sanctimonious,” she shared. “I think there’s this subtext of elevation. She’s up there, we’re down here. She just has institutional knowledge on life and has experienced more than any of us. She’s been compared to Nelson Mandela. She’s very self important.”

Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020, and have spoken out numerous times about their treatment. They have since relocated with their children to their home in Montecito, California.

Markle recently spoke out in her cover story with The Cut, calling her exit from the royal family “bittersweet.”

“I can talk about my whole experience and make a choice not to,” she told the outlet. When she was asked by the reporter why she chooses not to talk, Markle shared she’s, “Still healing.”

A source previously told ET that the “royal family is disappointed by Meghan Markle’s latest comments in The Cut magazine and on her podcast. They are distressed that after stepping back from the royal family — claiming a need for privacy — she continues to publicize family matters in public,” the source says.

This isn’t the first time Frankel has spoken out against Markle. Back in March 2021, Frankel tweeted about Markle ahead of her headline-making interview with Oprah Winfrey.

“Cry me a river…the plight of being a game show host, fairly unknown actress, to suffering in a palace, w tiaras & 7 figure weddings for TWO WHOLE YEARS to being a household name w @Oprah on speed dial, fetching 7 m for interviews, hundreds of millions in media deals,” Frankel tweeted, adding a thinking face emoji.