Prince Harry has confirmed his relationship with Suits actress Meghan Markle in the most official way ever by issuing a statement via a Kensington Palace press release.
When rumors surfaced about the prince's relationship with Markle, outlets, like the Daily Mail, posted articles about Markle that were not only blatantly racist but intrusive. The tabloid site reported that Markle was from the "drug- and crime-ridden" area of Crenshaw in Los Angeles, and even snidely mentioned that her black mother and other family members still lived there. The insinuation, basically, was that Prince Harry was too good for Markle because she was from the "ghetto."
On Tuesday morning, Kensington Palace issued a public statement, verifying the relationship and blasting racist trolls.
"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 of national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments," the statement read.
The statement went on to say that Prince Harry is worried not only about his girlfriend's privacy but also about that of her friends and family, and is disappointed that he "can't 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," the statement continued. "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.”
Markle may refer to herself as biracial, but it's her blackness that has the trolls alarmed.