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| Photo Credit: E Online |
Kensington Palace has issued a statement this
morning about the harassment currently being experienced by Meghan Markle and
her family including 'racial undertones'
Read the statement in full here → http://bit.ly/2ezyNzq
Since he was young, Prince Harry has been very
aware of the warmth that has been extended to him by members of the public. He
feels lucky to have so many people supporting him and knows what a fortunate
and privileged life he leads.
He is also
aware that there is significant curiosity about his private life. He has never
been comfortable with this, but he has tried to develop a thick skin about the
level of media interest that comes with it. He has rarely taken formal action
on the very regular publication of fictional stories that are written about him
and he has worked hard to develop a professional relationship with the media,
focused on his work and the issues he cares about.
But the past
week has seen a line crossed. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject
to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public - the
smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of
comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and
web article comments. Some of it has been hidden from the public - the nightly
legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to
struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of
reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to
police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her
ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one
in her life.
Prince Harry
is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not
been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship
with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows
commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all
part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game - it is her life
and his.
He has asked for this statement to be issued
in the hopes that those in the press who have been driving this story can pause
and reflect before any further damage is done. He knows that it is unusual to
issue a statement like this, but hopes that fair-minded people will understand
why he has felt it necessary to speak publicly.
