Emily Giffin denies comments 'had anything to do with her race' after criticising Meghan Markle's video with Archie

Author Emily Giffin has issued a public apology after sparking backlash with comments she made about Meghan Markle.

On Wednesday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex celebrated the first birthday of their son with a video showing Meghan reading a book to Archie.

Shortly after, the Something Borrowed author shared a screenshot from the video on her Instagram Stories, where she wrote: “Happy Birthday Archie. Go away Megan (sic).”

In a second post, the author accused Meghan of being “unmaternal” and “phony.”

Giffin later deleted the posts and made her social media accounts private, however, screenshots were shared to Twitter, where people questioned why the author was attacking the duchess.

“Man oh man does Something Borrowed author Emily Giffin hate Meghan Markle,” one person tweeted along with the screenshots.

Another said: “Imagine being so triggered over Meghan reading with Archie for a charity that you engage in terrible cyber-bullying... then you can’t stand the backlash and lock your account! #emilygiffin - disgusting!"

Others attempted to raise awareness of Giffin’s posts with Macmillan, the publisher of her books, as many perceived the author's comments to be grounded in racism.

@MacmillanUSA this is the kind of person you guys choose to work with? Just know that Meghan and Harry fans will NEVER purchase another book published by your company as long as you're affiliated with a racist person like @emilygiffin,” one person tweeted.

Prior to making her Instagram account private, Giffin addressed the criticism in a lengthy post, where she apologised for the “negative impact” of her comments and denied that they had anything to do with Meghan’s race.

“I enjoy following celebrities and analysing them with my readers. I post dozens of IG stories a day in a very honest, unfiltered way, as if I’m confiding directly with close friends. Further, I’m very interested in the British monarchy. I always have been,” she wrote, according to Marie Claire.

“To be clear, I absolutely loved that a biracial, American woman was marrying into the Royal Family. It seemed a wonderful, happy thing for everyone... Further, I was appalled by any signs of racism against her.

“Over recent months my feelings about BOTH Harry and Meghan changed. But I can say from the bottom of my heart that my criticism of Meghan has never had anything to do with her race.”

Giffin then said that she “understood” why Meghan wanted to “leave the monarchy and carve out her own path” but said she found fault with “the way BOTH she and Harry handled things”.

“I can see how some of my posts may have felt mean-spirited, and could be construed as having racial undertones. It was not my intent, but I understand that intent and impact are two very different things. And I am truly sorry for that negative impact,” the author concluded.

The Independent has contacted a representative for Giffin for comment.