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Prince Harry Dating Meghan Markle, Defends Girlfriend Against Racism, Sexism

By Effie Orfanides
Published on: 09:29 PST, Nov 8, 2016

Prince Harry is dating Meghan Markle and has confirmed that the actress is his girlfriend. Unfortunately, Prince Harry was forced to speak out against racist and sexist comments made about his girlfriend, simply unable to sit back and allow people to speak negatively about his new woman.

According to People Magazine, Prince Harry released a statement via his communications secretary after he became “worried about Markle’s safety.” Not long after it was reported that Harry and Meghan were an item, people started making negative comments about her. Said comments really bothered Harry to the point where he felt like he needed to defend his new leading lady.

“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,” the statement began.

Prince Harry started dating Meghan Markle about two months ago. It is unclear how the two met, but the Daily Mail reports that the two were set up by a mutual friend. Sources say that Markus Anderson, a consultant for the Soho House Group, decided that his friends should get to know each other, so he arranged a private dinner for the two of them to do so.

It is unknown if the Suits actress has been a victim of racism and sexism throughout the course of her life, but Prince Harry wasn’t about to sit around and let people judge his girl! The media has been particularly hard on the actress lately, and Prince Harry simply isn’t having it.

“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.”

Prince Harry knows that dating a new woman is going to create media mayhem. He and his brother, Prince William, understand that their lives are closely watched by the public and that they can’t really get away with too much without landing in the tabloids. However, the two men have done their best to keep the media at bay and to keep their personal relationships private.

Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, have found themselves in the media more often than they would probably like. For example, pregnancy rumors haven’t stopped following Kate Middleton around since the day she married William. Although the couple already has two children together, people are still counting down the days until royal baby number three comes along — even if Kate and William are happy as a family of four.

Prince Harry dating rumors have been the same over the years with just about everyone wondering who he’s with and when he will marry. The obsession with the royals is generally healthy, but when negative, racist comments are made, that’s when the line is drawn.

Prince Harry’s decision to release a statement was smart, and many feel that it was necessary (even if we all wish that it wasn’t). He did what he needed to do and spoke up for his woman, and people are glad that he did, even if it won’t stop the media and others from their headlines and commentary.

“It’s a very strong statement from him. It’s very brave of Harry to put out a statement, but I suspect it is not going to change things very much,” said Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine.

As for how serious Prince Harry is about Meghan Markle? She has reportedly already met members of his family, including his dad, Prince Charles.

[Featured Image by WPA Pool/Getty Images]

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