Congressman celebrates Meghan for ‘bringing down an empire’ as ‘Abolish the Monarchy’ trends in US

A Democrat congressman lavished praise on Meghan and Harry and criticised the British Royal Family on the back of Sunday’s bombshell Oprah interview.

New York lawmaker Mondaire Jones tweeted support for the Duchess for ‘bringing down an empire’.

"Meghan Markle is bringing down an entire empire tonight, and I’m here for it," he tweeted

The tweet came during the broadcast of Prince Harry's and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey on CBS in which the couple made a number of startling claims about the British Royal Family.

Those in favour of abolishing the monarchy are using the allegations put forward by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to argue that the system has run its course after Meghan revealed struggles with her mental health, suicidal thoughts, and conversations within the royal household about the skin colour of their son, Archie.

Congressman Jones was one of many slamming the royals during the broadcast of the interview, in which Prince Harry claimed that his father and brother, Prince Charles and Prince William - the next two kings - are "trapped" within the monarchial system.

Read more: Follow live updates on the fallout of Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah

Meghan McCain, co-host of The View and daughter of late Arizona Senator and 2008 Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, tweeted that "Monarchy has been an archaic and toxic concept since 1776," and included a gif from the musical "Hamilton".

"#AbolishTheMonarchy" trended on Twitter on both sides of the Atlantic as a result of the interview.

Amanda Gorman, who rocketed to stardom as the inaugural poet for President Joe Biden on 20 January, joined in with other critics of the monarchy, tweeting: "Meghan was the Crown's greatest opportunity for change, regeneration, and reconciliation in a new era. They didn't just maltreat her light--they missed out on it."

She added that it was "unclear if this will change the Royal family, but Meghan's strength will certainly redefine family everywhere. Think of the women who will be inspired to stand up for their lives, the partners who will be kinder and more courageous than the kin they were born into".

Tennis superstar Serena Williamswrote on Instagram that her "selfless friend" Meghan "teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she's experienced".

She added: "I know firsthand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us. We must recognize our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism. The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal."

Speaking about her mental health during the interview with Oprah, Meghan said: "I just didn't want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. I remember how he just cradled me. I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help. I said that ‘I've never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere’. And I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution."