GB News presenter Carole Malone has issued an on-air apology after falsely claiming that Meghan Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, was in prison when the Duchess of Sussex was a child. The remark was made during an episode of Britain's Newsroom on December 4, 2025.
Malone had stated that Thomas Markle raised his daughter while Ragland “was in jail,” repeating a baseless conspiracy theory that has circulated online for years. The comment was made in the context of press reports that Markle had not spoken to her estranged father after he underwent emergency surgery in the Philippines.
Ofcom, the UK media regulator, received 805 complaints about Malone's comments and is currently assessing whether to launch a full investigation. Retracting her remarks, Malone told viewers: “I believed this to be the case based on what I now understand to be misinformation I had seen online. I was questioned about the validity of this claim during the broadcast and I repeated this belief, which I now understand to be false.”
She added: “This was a genuine error. I accept what I have been told on behalf of Ms. Ragland — that she raised her daughter and that she has never been in prison or jail. I apologise sincerely to Ms. Ragland and her family for any pain my comments may have caused, and I'm happy to set the record straight.”
GB News, which launched in 2021, has become one of the UK's most prominent news services. Malone is a regular presenter on the network and also writes a column for its website.
