Piers Morgan claims Duchess of York backed him in Meghan Markle row with ‘get back out there’ text

PIERS Morgan has claimed the Duchess of York backed him after he walked away from Good Morning Britain over Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Oprah interview.

The TV firebrand says Sarah Ferguson told him to “get back out there” in a text – just a month after he point-blank refused to apologise to the Duchess of Sussex.

* Read our Meghan and Harry live blog for the latest news...

Piers’ GMB rant about Meghan became Ofcom’s most-complained about moment ever.

Tens of thousands of complaints were filed, while the Duchess herself complained to ITV.

But the presenter – who made dismissive comments about Meghan’s claims to have had issues with her mental health, and even said he didn’t believe she’d felt suicidal – told ITV bosses he wouldn’t say sorry.

And he claimed in his Daily Mail column he received an encouraging message from the Duchess of York in the weeks after he stormed off set.

It comes as:

• Prince Philip thought Meghan and Harry’s Oprah interview was “madness”, it’s claimed
• The Queen went to church and walked her corgi puppies on her first Sunday without her beloved husband
• Prince Harry has arrived back in the UK alone after medics advised his pregnant wife not to travel
• The Duke of Sussex may be expected to not wear his military uniform at the funeral – although his brother will
• Just 30 mourners will attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral – with Mike Tindall, Princess Alexandra and the Earl of Snowdon likely to be among those invited

He wrote: “Friday April 9.

“Not all Royal duchesses were as thrilled as Meghan ‘Pinocchio’ Markle to see me leave GMB.

“‘People have said how much they miss your morning joy and humour,’ texted Sarah, Duchess of York, ‘get back out there!’.”

He joked he and the Duchess could start presenting a series of their own.

“Perhaps we should start a new breakfast show together,” he wrote.

“‘Morgy and Fergie in the Morning, anyone?”

Piers has claimed he was contacted by unnamed royals thanking him for “standing up” to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

In an interview on US TV show Extra, he told host Billy Bush he had the backing of some family members.

“I’ve had some messages communicated to me on behalf of several members of the royal family,” the 56-year-old said.

Asked by Bush if the backing came from “upper level people”, Morgan replied: “I’m not going to go into who it was.

“But what I would say is, gratitude that somebody was standing up.”

And he claimed the Duchess put “huge pressure” on ITV bosses before he stood down.

“It was certainly a very interesting revelation from where I sit, because clearly she was trying to put huge pressure on my bosses to take action against me,” he claimed.

“In the end, I was required to apologise for disbelieving Meghan Markle, who I don’t believe – and I believe, which is ironic, that you should not believe somebody if you don’t want to.”

But Piers could face a fight on his hands from Meghan’s crack team of legal eagles.

The presenter has claimed Meghan and Harry lied or exaggerated 17 times during their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.

He insisted he was right not to believe the Duchess of Sussex in her Oprah interview, alleging that 17 of her claims in the chat have proved incorrect.

Earlier this year Duchess of Sussex, 39, won a court battle Mail on Sunday publisher Associated Newspapers Ltd.

Now royal biographer Angela Levin, author of Harry: Conversations with the Prince, says Piers could have a similar lawsuit on his hands soon.

“She’s a very determined woman,” she told Talk Radio.

“Heavily pregnant or not she will want to fight back.”