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British newspapers have been running daily stories about
Markle since news emerged that the 35-year-old actress was
dating the prince, 32, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth.
In the unusually forthright statement issued by Harry's office
which confirmed the relationship for the first time, the
prince's Communications Secretary said they had fought nightly
legal battles to keep defamatory stories from appearing in
papers.
"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," the statement said.
"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."
Harry has spoken out before about his dislike of the press and
the statement said that while he appreciated he lived a
privileged life, he felt he had to speak out.
"It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him
that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm," the
statement said.
"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."
(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison)
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