MEGHAN MARKLE'S CLOSE FRIENDS OPEN UP TO CBS NEWS' GAYLE KING IN A REVEALING ONE-HOUR PRIMETIME SPECIAL "MEGHAN AND HARRY PLUS ONE"

Friday, May 17 - 8:00 PM, ET/PT

For the first time, Meghan Markle's close friends sit down with CBS THIS MORNING co-host Gayle King to offer a rare, intimate look at one of the most famous new families on the planet in MEGHAN AND HARRY PLUS ONE, a CBS News special to be broadcast Friday, May 17 (8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

"I feel like this is their time to really share who they are and what they stand for together," says Daniel Martin, Markle's longtime friend and her makeup artist.

The special examines the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they take on a new title: mom and dad. Their newborn son, Archie, is seventh in line to the throne and making history as the first British-American, biracial baby born into the British royal family.

"This is hugely significant," says Markle's friend, actor Janina Gavankar.

"There are still a lot of us who didn't even grow up with dolls that look like us," Gavankar tells King.

"I was one of those little girls," says King.

"So, to have the royal family bring a child of color into the world, it's pretty awesome," Gavankar says.

In May 2018, the courtship and star-studded wedding of Prince Harry and Markle captured the attention of the world. It has been a year of change and joy for the couple, but it has not come without some controversy. Markle has been under attack and targeted by numerous negative headlines describing her as "difficult."

"What's so frustrating is that you hear these stories and there's no truth to them," Martin says of the reports. "It's not the same person. In the years I've known her, the years I've worked with her, she's never had a diva fit, never."

Martin, with tears welling up, defends his friend.

"I know she doesn't deserve all of this negative press," Martin says.

"The palace system is a bit of a ball-breaker," says Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine. "You've got 400 staff working there looking down their noses and saying, 'Oh no, you don't do it that way.'"

Markle's friends say she avoids the press coverage.

"She doesn't read the bad or the good because... she knows the metrics that you have for your own life cannot be based on a headline that somebody else wrote," says Gavankar.

Now, all of the royal couple's attention is focused on their new baby.

"Meghan and I have talked about her being a mother for over a decade," says Gavankar. "She's always wanted to be a mom."

As for Harry, "He's so good with kids," says Martin. "When they were doing the family portrait after the wedding with everybody, he was on the floor playing with the kids. And that's when I knew he was going to be the coolest dad."

"Their child is going to represent what the world is now," says Martin. "It's the dawn of a new generation."

MEGHAN AND HARRY PLUS ONE is produced by the team at 48 HOURS and is executive produced by Patti Aronofsky and Judy Tygard.

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