Meghan Markle says 'rude and racist are not the same' while addressing how she's been treated by the press compared to Kate Middleton

• Megan Markle said the way the press treated her was different from how they treated other royals.
• Markle said "rude and racist are not the same" when discussing the comparisons to Kate Middleton.
• Markle said a royal press team defended Middleton but didn't do the same for her.

Meghan Markle made a distinction between the British media's treatment of her and its treatment of Kate Middleton during her interview with Oprah Winfrey.

In new footage of the interview that was aired on "CBS This Morning," Markle shared that the royal family excused some of the media's treatment of her by comparing it to how the press has treated other royals, including Middleton.

"Kate was called 'Waity Katie,' waiting to marry William," Markle said. "While I imagine that was really hard - and I do, I can't picture what that felt like - this is not the same. And if a member of his family will comfortably say, 'We've all had to deal with things that are rude,' rude and racist are not the same."

-CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) March 8, 2021

In the interview, Markle also said that the royal press teams protected Middleton, while they didn't do the same for her.

"And equally, you've also had a press team that goes on the record to defend you, especially when they know something's not true, and that didn't happen for us," she added.

For instance, Markle said that Middleton made her cry during the week of her wedding, contrary to media reports at the time. Markle said the royal family and institution knew the truth but did nothing to correct the story.

As Insider's Mikhaila Friel previously reported, Markle was often criticized for things Middleton was praised for. Experts told Friel that they believe the differences in how the media treated Markle and Middleton would not exist if Markle was not mixed race.

Prince Harry and Markle told Oprah that racism played a large role in their decision to step back as senior members of the royal family. Harry also went on to say that he wouldn't have stepped back from royal life if he hadn't met Markle, as he didn't realize he was "trapped within the system."

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on this story.