Speaking outside his West London home Mr Morgan told reporters: 'If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it.'
He added: 'I think the damage she's done to the British monarchy and to the Queen at a time when Prince Philip is lying in hospital is enormous and frankly contemptible', before revealing that he left on the day more people watched GMB than its BBC rival, five years after Piers transformed the ITV ratings flop. He tweeted later: 'Good Morning Britain beat BBC Breakfast in the ratings yesterday for the first time. My work is done'.
In another extraordinary twist, it was claimed by the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian that Meghan made a formal complaint to ITV about Mr Morgan. The broadcaster, who paid £1million to show the Oprah interview, did not deny the claim and representatives for the duchess declined to comment.
