Priyanka Chopra backs Meghan Markle, calls her victim of racism

Priyanka Chopra stood up for Meghan Markle just like all friends do.

The 'Quantico' star has nothing but nice things to say about the Duchess of Sussex. The 36-year-old actor addressed the negativity surrounding her friend since marrying Prince Harry and becoming a member of the royal family.

In an interview with The Sunday Times as cited by People, Priyanka opened up about the criticism Meghan faces and said that much of it is due to her biracial heritage.

Priyanka said that the media criticism is "really unfortunate," adding, "But if there's anyone who can handle it, it's her."

"I've seen that and it's really unfortunate. But if there's anyone who can handle it, it's her. Of course, it has to do with racism, it's an obvious reason," she said.

Priyanka continued to praise her friend, explaining that the former 'Suits' star has remained grounded even after getting married to the Duke of Sussex.

"The beauty of Meg is that she's been herself through all of this. A lot of people got to know her after everything, but I knew her before [she started dating Harry] and she's the same chick. Now she's got a real platform, she talks about the same things she always did," the 'Isn't It Romantic' star added.

Priyanka said that Meghan has always wanted to change a situation to a noticeable degree.

The actor added, "We spent hours speaking about the difference that influence and dialogue can make to the world before this whole thing happened, so what you see now is authentically her. She's always been the girl wanting to move the needle."

In her interview, Priyanka also opened up about her friendship with Meghan. The two met at a women-in-television dinner a few years ago and found that they shared similar interests.

"We just connected on how we see the world and as girls. Meghan is such a progressive, modern girl. She's what the world is today -- a self-made woman who looks like each one of us. I mean, she's stunning. But she is so completely herself," she said.

Priyanka's comments come after months of rumours of a feud between her and Meghan, which first sparked in December 2018 after the Duchess of Sussex, who was pregnant at that time, did not attend the actor's wedding to Nick Jonas in India.

Priyanka dismissed the rumours on 'Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen' in March. However, they continued, even after Priyanka took to Instagram in May to congratulate the royal couple on the birth of their son.

On Thursday, Priyanka and Nick were captured together in London and The Sun reported that day that the couple visited Meghan, Harry and their newborn son Archie Harrison and even gave him gifts.

However, Priyanka denied the report, calling it "untrue" and posted a clarification on her Twitter handle.

"While these are great gift ideas... this story is untrue, and I was actually in town for work. I hope whoever this "source" is starts checking their facts more often," she tweeted on Friday along with a link of an article by The Sun.

On the work front, Priyanka will be next seen in Shonali Bose's 'The Sky Is Pink' and she has also signed up for a project with Mindy Kaling.

-ANI