Ellen DeGeneres recalls feeding Archie during afternoon with Harry and Meghan

American comic Ellen DeGeneres has revealed she has met and fed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby son Archie.

The chat show host told her TV audience how she spent the afternoon with Meghan and Harry when she visited Europe during a break from recording.

DeGeneres also defended the couple following criticism they have received for taking a series of private jets – something the duke said was necessary to maintain the safety of his family.

The comic said: “I mean I can’t tell you how sweet they are. But the most important thing is I got to hold Archie. I fed Archie. I held Archie.”

The stand-up comedian joked with her audience, saying: “I just want to say it was an honour for them to meet me.”

She added: “Seriously, they are so amazing. They’re the cutest couple, so down to earth.

“And I just hate it, I see them get attacked and it’s not fair.

“They’re just two of the most down to earth, compassionate people, they are doing so much good for the world.”

Sir Elton John, another celebrity friend of the Sussexes, has also spoken in support of them, saying he provided them and son Archie with a private flight to “maintain a high level of much-needed protection”.

He also hit back at what he called “these relentless and untrue assassinations on their character”.

DeGeneres tweeted in August about her meeting with Meghan and Harry, when she said she visited the couple with wife Portia de Rossi.

She told the studio audience she had “talked about all the conservation they’re doing for wildlife, they’re doing all this work with Botswana for elephants and I love that and they like what I’m doing for the gorillas in Rwanda so we’re all going to do something together”.