Prince Harry confirms he has been dating Suits actress Meghan Markle for months, but hits out at ‘sexist and racist’ trolling of new girlfriend
PRINCE Harry has broken his silence and finally admitted TV star Meghan Markle is his girlfriend.
Harry, 32, spoke out to confirm their romance after more than a week of fevered speculation by royal watchers.
He has been secretly dating actress Meghan, 35, for months.
And in a sign of how serious it is, he made an unprecedented appeal for them to be left in peace.
A statement issued by Kensington Palace said Harry believed media interest in his love affair with American divorcee Meghan had seen a “line crossed”.
It said “his girlfriend has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment”.
The statement said it was “not right” she had been “subjected to such a storm”.
And it lashed out at the “sexism and racism of social media trolls” which had left him “deeply disappointed that he was not able to protect her.”
Harry’s romance with the actress was revealed ten days ago — but they had kept it secret for months.
They were introduced by mutual friend Markus Anderson at central London’s Soho House, where he is a director, in early June.
Harry was immediately smitten and besieged the American with texts until she agreed to a date.
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They met in London several times that month, with Meghan pictured in Wimbledon’s royal Box.
In July, Harry flew to LA to treat her to a weekend at his best friend’s house in the Hollywood Hills.
They were then apart for two months while Harry was in Africa.
But Meghan flew to London in early September as they could not “bear to be apart”. She was star guest at his shooting party at Balmoral that month, where she met Prince Charles and other royals.
That was followed by a trip to a Cotswolds hotel last month.
And Harry returned from a week-long break at Meghan’s apartment in Toronto last Wednesday.
A pal said: “Despite living on opposite sides of the Atlantic, they have managed to meet up fairly often.
“Harry has been paranoid at the relationship getting out before either knew if they wanted to continue.
“But it has moved very fast and they can’t bear to be apart.” This is Harry’s third serious relationship since splitting with actress Cressida Bonas, 27, two years ago.
He also dated Zimbabwean lawyer Chelsy Davy, 31, from 2004 to 2011.
And there have been flings with model Florence Brudenell-Bruce, 30, in 2011 and with Doctor Who actress Jenna Coleman, 30, last summer.
But Meghan, a Women’s Advocate for the UN, is the only girl Harry has gone so public about so soon.
Royal historian Robert Lacey said: “This statement is an interesting way of Prince Harry expressing his feelings without being soppy.
“He’s stepping up as her knight in shining armour to defend his damsel in distress. It’s very gallant and everything we’d expect from our warrior prince.
“But in a year’s time, it’ll be remembered as the day he declared his love for her. I do think it is a mistake, though, to try and engage with the sharks on social media.
“Kensington Palace are mad if they think they can defeat the sharks — they are not the professional British media.
He’s stepping up as her knight in shining armour to defend his damsel in distress
“The media are on Harry’s side and want to help him, and he does seem to be antagonising them, which I do think is a mistake.
“Even if Harry thinks this isn’t our business, it is.
“We have to get used to her if there is an engagement on the cards. Although I think it will take a very long time to get to that, in the same vein as William and Kate.
“They were given breathing space while they were both at university, and I suppose Harry wants the same for his new girlfriend. They went on for so long, it became not why, but when. Harry will want the same for Meghan.”
The Prince claimed that there had been a “smear on the front page of a national newspaper” — believed to be The Sun’s story about footage of Meghan on adult website Pornhub.
But our story made clear the videos were compiled from sexy scenes in her show Suits, which had been viewed tens of thousands of times.
Kensington Palace’s statement also blasted the “racial undertones of comment pieces”.
That is thought to refer to Rachel Johnson’s Mail on Sunday column, which called Meghan’s mum a “dreadlocked African-American lady from the wrong side of the tracks”.
Harry's headline-grabbing statement is misguided
OUR warrior prince is an officer and a gentleman.
An all-round good bloke, with whom I’ve enjoyed a drink on many an occasion.
He’s Britain’s best-loved royal who has taken on with gusto the legacy of his mum Princess Diana’s ground-breaking charity work.
But, unlike most of the other royals, he reads everything that’s written about him — both online and in print — and takes it very much to heart.
Thick-skinned he is not.
Like any man, Harry is worried about his girlfriend Meghan Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her.
All very commendable. But I fear he’s been badly advised on attacking the Press. Legitimate Press interest in who’s dating the fifth-in-line to the throne is exactly that. Entirely legitimate.
Equally, nobody is condoning harassment and Meghan should be free to pursue her career.
She is a famous actress, used to milking publicity for her own gains, who writes copiously on social media about her lifestyle and background.
Indeed with her Instagram posts last week — when Harry was holed up in her house — she seemed to be teasing the public who didn’t yet know.
Sure, the British Press have contacted her friends and family to see if they want to comment.
Some did, some didn’t and that was respected. Harry, we’re on your side.
Given their respective ages, Meghan is now a contender to be a Royal Duchess or Princess.
Another royal wedding would be fantastic.
But I feel the headline-grabbing statement — issued at a time his father the Prince of Wales is on an important diplomatic Middle East Tour — is misguided.
Far from dampening down interest, it has fanned the flames worldwide. An army of citizen journalists and bloggers, combined with unscrupulous and offensive online trolls, write whatever they like about any famous person and largely go unchecked.
Hiding behind fake names, these keyboard warriors can be offensive in the extreme without fearing any comeback.
Harry’s decision to hit out and go public shows he will do everything he can to defend his lady.
But unless he marries her, entitling her to police protection wherever she goes, there’s not much he can actually do.
Underlying this is his fear that she will run a mile, as both his previous girlfriends did.
Hopefully this won’t happen. And he’ll get the happy ending we all want.