AceShowbiz - Hillary Clinton believes Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex's race "certainly" played a role in the British tabloids' harsh treatment of her.

Earlier this month, Prince Harry revealed he was suing British newspapers The Sun and the Daily Mirror for allegedly hacking his phone and stealing his voicemails. The claims came just days after he also filed motions against the Mail on Sunday and its parent company Associated Newspapers for allegedly unlawfully publishing an anguished letter Meghan wrote to her estranged father.

While the Duke of Sussex slammed the publications for "waging campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences," former First Lady of the United States Hillary addressed the situation in an interview with Britain's The Sunday Times newspaper, calling Meghan's treatment "inexplicable."

"If the explanation is that she's biracial, then shame on everybody," she said, adding she believes race is "certainly part of it."

Hillary sat down for the chat alongside her daughter Chelsea, who suggested her previous career as an actress may have rubbed people up the wrong way.

"She proudly had a career first and has a voice that she thankfully continues to use," Chelsea offered. "Anyone who has the temerity to break the mould of what has previously been established and expected often, unfortunately, receives criticism and bile that I don't understand."