Gayle King Reacts to Friend Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Decision to Leave Royal Family (Exclusive)

The 'CBS This Morning' anchor tells ET she's 'happy' for the couple amid their ongoing scandal.

Gayle King commends her friend, Meghan Markle, on her recent decision regarding her life as a member of the royal family.

ET's Rachel Smith spoke with King about her upcoming GRAMMY special airing on Thursday, and talk turned to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's recent headline-making news. 

It has now been two weeks since Prince Harry and Meghan announced their plans to step back as senior members of the royal family, become financially independent, and split their time between North America and the U.K. Since the announcement, Harry has met with his family to discuss the details of the decision. Over the weekend, Queen Elizabeth II released a statement supporting the couple, but noting that they will lose their HRH titles, will step back from royal duties including military appointments, and will no longer receive funds for royal duties. 

 "I think that they made a decision that they think is best for them, and I know that I'm pulling for them 100 percent," King tells ET. 

The 65-year-old CBS This Morning anchor has struggled to see Meghan get torn apart in the media as speculation about the royal family's knowledge of the couple's decision has been called into question. 

"It's very hard to look at the headlines that said [Queen Elizabeth II] was blindsided or they treated the queen shabbily. That's why I really appreciate that the statement from the queen herself saying these conversations have been going on for a very long time," King notes. "And so it was tough to see her get so battered and beaten because, at the end of the day, these are two people who are in love, who just want to be a family together. And it's no diss on the queen. It's no diss on the U.K., none of that."

Adding that she's "happy for them," King says she hasn't specifically asked Meghan, whose 2019 baby shower she attended, or Harry for their first post-royals interview. 

"Everybody wants that interview, of course. But I have not asked for it," she admits. "They will decide what's best for them. They will decide."

Though Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, might be returning to a more commercial lifestyle, King is convinced that fans won't see the couple on any awards season red carpets this year. 

"I can bet probably my first and second born child, who I love very dearly, you will not see them on the GRAMMYs red carpet," she insists. 

The Gayle King GRAMMY Special will air Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

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