'The Crown' star defends Meghan against 'evil' press

Olivia Colman, who stars as Queen Elizabeth herself in Netflix's royal drama The Crown, has spoken out against the "evil" media scrutiny Meghan Markle has faced.

Discussing the topic at the show's season three premiere, Colman hit out at the British tabloids that have hounded the Duchess of Sussex since she joined the royal family.

"It's just evil. They are mean to them," she said of the press' treatment of Meghan and Prince Harry.

"I don't know why they're so mean to a fellow human being. It always strikes me as odd."

Meghan spoke out about the pressures of life in the spotlight and how the media scrutiny had affected her, especially during her pregnancy with baby Archie.

She and Harry have since filed lawsuits against multiple British tabloids who Harry accused of "vilifying" his wife in the same way they did Princess Diana before her untimely death.

Recently Meghan and Harry faced backlash after it was announced they won't be celebrating Christmas with the rest of the royal family this year.

Rather than joining the Queen and fellow senior royals at Sandringham, as is tradition for many members of the family, the Sussexes will be spending the holidays with Meghan's mum, Doria Ragland.

Buckingham Palace announced the pair's plans this week, adding it was "in line with precedent set previously by other members of the Royal Family, and has the support of Her Majesty The Queen".

It's a decision Colman can relate to, adding "Everyone wants a little Christmas on their own every now and again."

It's a view shared by 9Honey's royal commentator Victoria Arbiter, who said there was "nothing out of the ordinary here" and added that Prince William and Kate Middleton have done the same before.

Colman took over the role of Queen Elizabeth from Claire Foy, who starred as the monarch in the first two seasons of the show.

As The Crown progresses into the more recent years of Her Majesty's life this season, Colman was chosen to portray the Queen as she celebrated her Silver Jubilee and dealt with Charles' early relationship with Camilla.