Kensington Palace, the official London office of Prince Harry, has issued a formal statement this morning confirming that American actress Meghan Markle is his girlfriend.
The palace, at Harry’s behest, issued what it concedes is a rare statement about the royal’s private life amid growing concern about the press intrusion Markle, her friends and family have faced since the relationship became public last month.
Harry’s communications secretary Jason Knauf said the abuse included a “smear on the front page of a national newspaper, the racial undertones of comment pieces and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”
The open letter goes on to allege that Markle’s mother has struggled with paparazzi camped outside her home, while friends, family members and former partners have been inundated with monetary offers from the press for stories about her.
“Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle’s safety and is disappointed that he has not been able to protect her,” the letter continues. “It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms Markle should be subjected to such a storm.
“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.”
Canadian Markle and Harry are believed to have met in Toronto earlier this year.
