Charlie Hebdo sparks outrage over offensive Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan Markle cartoon

French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo responded to Meghan Markle's claims against Buckingham Palace with an offensive drawing that likened her to George Floyd.

The magazine sparked controversy yet again over a front-page cover on Saturday's issue that paints a scene out of Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. But on the ground is not the Black man but the Duchess of Sussex, with Queen Elizabeth II kneeling on her neck.

The published cartoon comes with the title "Why Meghan Quit Buckingham," with the duchess' caricature shown saying, "Because I couldn't breathe anymore."

The illustration is a stark reminder of how Floyd pleaded for his life when he told the officer, " I can't breathe" many times before he was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead afterwards.

Halima Begum, CEO of race equality think tank the Runnymede Trust, called out Charlie Hebdo for its offensive caricature of Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth II. She called it "wrong on every level."

"The Queen as George Floyd's murderer crushing Meghan's neck? Meghan saying she's unable to breathe? This doesn't push boundaries, make anyone laugh, or challenge racism. It demeans the issues & causes offence, across the board," she wrote on Twitter.

"This is utterly disgusting. So disrespectful to HM The Queen and shows not sensitivity to the Floyd Family. This is not free speech this is hate speech," one user commented.

"Truly sad that you see this as satire. How does this help anything and how can this be seen as amusing? This does nothing to further equality. You have only succeeded in ridiculing and diminishing yourselves. Very sad," another wrote.

Charlie Hebdo's caricature of the royals came after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared their dismay at how they received unfair treatment from Buckingham Palace when it came to matters dealing with the British press.

The Duchess opened up about having suicidal thoughts and that she was denied her request to seek mental help. She also talked about their son Archie being questioned about his skin colour.

Charlie Hebdo's depiction of Queen Elizabeth II however, does not coincide with what Meghan Markle said about her. She told Winfrey that the British monarch has been very kind and wonderful to her. Prince Harry likewise confirmed that his grandmother and Prince Philip never raised concerns about Archie's mixed race.