Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dismiss South Park lawsuit rumour

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly dismissed claims they were planning to sue the creators of cartoon comedy South Park.

An episode titled The Worldwide Privacy Tour features two characters who bear a resemblance to Harry and Meghan, embarking on a tour across the world demanding their privacy.

The couple's spokesperson told People: "It's all frankly nonsense. Totally baseless, boring reports."

The 22-minute episode aired last week.

Centred around a red-headed character and his wife who relocate to South Park, Colorado, the "Prince of Canada" is seen promoting his book around the world.

Stan Marsh, one of the show's main characters, refers to the fictional couple as the "dumb prince and his stupid wife".

Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park first premiered on Comedy Central in 1997 and has often featured characters who bear a resemblance to famous faces.

The animated series begins every episode with a disclaimer saying that all its characters are fictional.

However, while Harry and Meghan's names are never mentioned in the episode, the fictional Prince of Canada's book appears to be a reference to Prince Harry's memoir, Spare, which was released at the beginning of the year.

Spare became the fastest-selling non-fiction book in the UK since records began in 1998. It sold 467,183 copies in its first week, according to official figures from Nielsen BookData.

The book outlines highly personal grievances and bitterness in the Royal Family, such as a claim he and Prince William urged their father not to marry Camilla.

It also provides behind-the-scenes details of the conflict he had with his brother, Prince William, the heir to the throne.

Harry sat down with UK and US broadcasters to promote the book, with CBS describing their interview with the royal as "explosive".