Elizabeth Hurley has risked angering Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry by declaring they get to live a celebrity lifestyle with "a lot more privacy".

The model/actress, 54, who played a queen in TV soap The Royals,  gave her thoughts on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a new interview.

She admitted she feels "jealous" of the real life royals as they get to enjoy the trappings of life in the spotlight with less of the intrusion.

In a chat with Buzzfeed's Am To DM show, she explained: "It [the TV show] made me feel a little jealous [of the real royals] because it really made me realise that...

"On our show, you saw us out and about as royalty bestowing goodness and grace on the public, but then of course you went behind closed doors and saw what we were getting up to.

"The real Royal family , you never see them behind closed doors ever. We only ever see them bestowing nice things on the outside and you never see anything else, unlike people in show business where unfortunately pesky people seem to get behind the scenes all the time.

Elizabether Hurley says she has less privacy than the real life royals (
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Getty Images)

"So actually they’re really lucky because I always think of the royal family being sort of like showbiz - really because it is - but with a lot more privacy. Sometimes. Maybe they’ve lost a little lately!"

Hurley goes on to insist the royals also have a lot more protection than celebrities as they are constantly surrounded by security teams.

She added: "They still have the secret service looking after them, and they still have the Palace Guard, and there’s no cameras backstage...

"They still have a great deal more protection than people in showbiz."
Liz says Meghan and Harry have way more privacy than celebrities (
Image:
Getty Images)

However, she also insisted the royals should have a choice about how much of their personal lives they reveal and how much they can keep private.

She added: "We are of an age where people who could have more privacy choose to be a little more open, and to reveal a little more than perhaps their predecessors did, and I guess that’s a choice."

Hurley 's remarks are likely to infuriate the former actress, who starred in US TV show Suits before marrying into the royal family.

Markle, 38, and Prince Harry have long campaigned for more privacy as they attempt to keep their personal lives away from the cameras.

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