Meghan Markle ‘didn’t like Britain’ and shouldn’t ‘gaslight the nation’ into ‘thinking we’ve behaved appallingly towards her’, Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine has told this week’s The Reaction.

Hosts Sarah and Andrew Pierce discussed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s ‘semi-royal’ tour of Nigeria last weekend on the latest episode of the Mail’s YouTube show, which you can watch here.

The presenters suggested it was more of a ‘presidential tour’ for the likes of Meghan, 42, who was ‘never going to accept the royal life because she was always going to have to be one step behind Prince Harry‘, according to Andrew.

‘She needs to be a leading actor in her life. But I mean, that’s OK, but just be honest about it,’ said Sarah. ‘Don’t put everybody through this whole thing. Don’t gaslight an entire nation.

‘Don’t gaslight the whole of Britain into thinking that we’ve behaved appallingly towards her because that wasn’t the case. People liked her. It’s just that she didn’t like us. She didn’t want the assignment,’ insisted the columnist.

Noting how fans appeared to delight in seeing Meghan, more so than Harry, and how the mother-of-two seemed to take the lead throughout the three-day visit, Sarah referred to the Prince as a ‘beta male’.

She added: ‘It was very much [Meghan] showcasing herself and he was just sort of coming along for the ride.

‘I mean, maybe that’s what he wants in his life and it’s perfectly possible that he just wants to be a beta male.’

Sarah said that the Duchess ‘needs to be a leading actor in her life’, adding that with the tour of Nigeria, ‘she’s very much the protagonist, she’s very much the star of the show and that’s how she likes it’.

Andrew, meanwhile, agreed. He suggested the visit ‘felt more like a presidential tour’, noting that Meghan ‘thinks she’s got a potential career in democratic politics because that story broke a couple of years ago. And it felt like she was on campaign mode.’

Harry and Meghan’s tour of Nigeria, which saw them visit Lagos and Abuja at the military’s invitation, was intended to promote mental health for soldiers and empower young people.

+5
View gallery

Prince Harry and Meghan at the Dream Big Basketball Clinic in Lagos, Nigeria, last Sunday

Meghan helps take a selfie as Harry watches at the Wuse Lightway Academy in Abuja last week

+5
View gallery

Meghan smiles as she receives flowers during a sitting volleyball match in Abuja last Saturday

+5
View gallery

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Lagos State Governor’s House in Nigeria last Sunday

The couple attended events related to Harry’s Invictus Games, which Nigeria is seeking to host in the future.

The Sussexes were also welcomed at the Lagos State Government House and met military officials at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.