Piers Morgan, a former co-host of ITV’s Good Morning Britain breakfast show in the United Kingdom, has been cleared by media regulator Ofcom, which looked into complaints regarding his remarks about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.

After the Duchess of Sussex was among a wave of people who complained that his questioning of her account of royal racism and suicidal thoughts was ‘harmful’ and ‘offensive’ to viewers, the UK’s broadcasting watchdog today called attempts to silence the MailOnline columnist a ‘chilling restriction on freedom of expression.’

Morgan, the co-host of ITV’s “Good Morning Britain,” stated on March 8 that he “didn’t believe a word” Meghan had said to Oprah Winfrey in a shocking interview with Prince Harry the day before. He especially referenced her claim that she had felt suicidal and that Buckingham Palace had refused to aid her.

After an altercation with weather presenter Alex Beresford, he momentarily left the show and was later chastised by mental health organization Mind.

ITV and the regulator both received complaints from the duchess.

Ofcom received more than 58,000 complaints. ITV emphasized the importance of its team’s contribution in preventing a breach of broadcast standards.

Piers has received widespread support, and ITV’s left-leaning former Guardian chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall is under fire for forcing him out in March, hours after the Duchess of Sussex complained to her personally and supposedly wanting his ‘head on a plate,’ Mr Morgan said in his column.

“Mr. Morgan was entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s allegations and to hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account,” Ofcom said in a 97-page report detailing the decision.

Unlike Britain’s raucous tabloids, broadcasters must adhere to rigorous neutrality guidelines. They must adhere to a code that contains provisions such as the need that broadcasters “provide adequate protection for members of the public from harmful and/or offensive material.” Ofcom publishes reports on the findings of investigations into suspected violations twice a month.

In announcing the outcomes of its investigation on Wednesday, Ofcom stated, “This was a finely balanced decision. Mr. Morgan’s comments were potentially harmful and offensive to viewers, and we recognize the strong public reaction to them. But we also took full account of freedom of expression. Under our rules, broadcasters can include controversial opinions as part of legitimate debate in the public interest, and the strong challenge to Mr. Morgan from other contributors provided important context for viewers.”

ITV also revealed they ‘have no current plans to invite him to present Good Morning Britain’. A source said: ‘Piers decided to leave. We accepted his decision’.

“This is a resounding victory for free speech and a resounding defeat for Princess Pinocchios,” Morgan tweeted after the verdict. “Do I get my job back?” he added.

The 56-year-old writer said he “wasn’t really sure why I lost [my job] in the first place” outside his house. He said Ofcom had “emphatically endorsed my right to not believe what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were saying”.

Morgan’s “apparent disregard for the seriousness of anyone expressing suicidal thoughts” was a source of worry for Ofcom.

“We would have been seriously concerned if it hadn’t been for Morgan’s co-presenters’ extensive challenge” throughout the show, they added.

Concluded the regulator: “Nonetheless, we’ve reminded ITV to take greater care around content discussing mental health and suicide in future. ITV might consider the use of timely warnings or signposting of support services to ensure viewers are properly protected.”

“Make no mistake, this is a watershed moment in the battle for free speech. If Ofcom had found against me, that would have signaled the end of every U.K. TV journalist’s right to express any honestly held opinion on air lest it upset the likes of Meghan Markle,” Mr. Morgan wrote in an opinion piece for The Daily Mail newspaper in reaction to Ofcom’s ruling.

ITV said: “We welcome the Ofcom ruling that Good Morning Britain did not breach the broadcast standards relating to harm and offense. The ruling sets out clearly that it was the balance and context the program makers provided which was key in mitigating against the potential for harm and offense, which could have been caused by Piers Morgan’s comments. It is because of the program’s editorial decisions and the opposing views which were forcefully expressed by other presenters and guests, that the program did not breach Ofcom’s rules.”

Harry and Meghan blamed the British press for pushing them out of the country with its constant attacks on the duchess, but the Society of Editors, a powerful news industry organization, disputed that racism had a role in the couple’s coverage. After more than 160 journalists of color signed an open letter refuting that claim, the group did an embarrassing U-turn.

“A quarter of people said hearing a celebrity talk openly about their own mental health inspired them to seek help,” said Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, a mental health organisation, in reaction to the ruling.