'Anne Boleyn' star Jodie Turner-Smith says royal family didn't embrace or protect Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

• Jodie Turner-Smith criticized the royal family for not supporting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
• She told "Good Morning Britain" that the couple's exit was a missed opportunity for the royal family.
• "There's a lot of resistance to new things that can push that institution forward," she said.

Jodie Turner-Smith has joined the growing list of celebrities who have criticized the royal family's treatment of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Turner-Smith, who becomes the first Black actor to portray Anne Boleyn on-screen in British broadcaster Channel 5's reimagining, told "Good Morning Britain" that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's royal exit was a missed opportunity that could have helped to modernize the royal family.

"There's a lot of resistance to new things that can push that institution forward in a way that more represents the world today," Turner-Smith said. "I think they could have looked at this marriage and that relationship as a way to evolve and could have embraced it and embraced her fully, and protected her, and protected their son in a way that made him feel like he didn't need to leave."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they would be stepping back from life as senior working royals in January 2020. The couple temporarily relocated to Canada but they are now based near Markle's home city of Los Angeles, California.

Earlier this year, during the couple's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry revealed that the primary reason that he left his royal role was a "lack of support and lack of understanding" from both the media and the royal institution.

The couple also told Oprah that Meghan Markle experienced suicidal thoughts during her time as a working royal and her attempts to seek professional help were dismissed by royal staff members.

"I just didn't want to be alive anymore," Meghan told Oprah during the interview. "I was ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry. But I knew that if I didn't say it - then I would do it."

During a recent episode of his new Apple TV+ docuseries "The Me You Can't See," Prince Harry said that he and Markle have been able to seek therapy since they stepped back from the royal family, which has allowed them to "withstand" the issues they face.

"Therapy has equipped me to be able to take on anything," he said. "That's why I'm here now. That's why my wife is here now. Without therapy and without doing the work, we would not be able to withstand this."

He continued to say that stepping back from royal life was "scary," but he doesn't regret the decision.

"Making this move was really scary," he said. "At every possible opportunity, the forces that were working against us tried to make it impossible."