Prince Harry reportedly issued strict instructions to Meghan Markle before a high-profile interview, a royal biographer once revealed. The couple, who met in 2016 and married two years later, was not pleased about Markle's appearance on the cover of Vanity Fair's September 2017 issue. At the time, Harry had apparently taken extra precautions and given his wife some very clear instructions to stay away from three topics: Donald Trump, race, and their relationship.
According to Tom Bower's book Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War between the Windsors, Markle was initially 'ecstatic' to be requested to be in the magazine. However, as per The Daily Express, when Sam Kashner's piece — with the front-page headline of 'She’s Just Wild About Harry' — came out, she was furious about the whole ordeal. In particular, she did not understand why her love life with the younger prince overshadowed her philanthropic and acting career. Markle had also reportedly told Harry that the interview would focus on the 100th episode of Suits, which was being shot in Toronto (and where Kushner went to see the actress as well), as per The New York Post.
According to Bower's book, "Kashner arrived at Meghan's home and told that his interviewee was under strict orders from both Harry and Keleigh Thomas Morgan [her publicist at PR firm Sunshine Sachs]... Harry had asked Meghan to keep quiet about sensitive topics: Donald Trump, race, their relationship, and especially himself. He was not to be mentioned."
However, not everything went as planned. Markle was featured on the cover, but the headline created a buzz surrounding their relationship. Markle had told Kushner in the course of their conversation, "We’re a couple. We’re in love... I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time."
As such, Bower claimed in his book, "Within hours, Meghan called Ken Sunshine [founder of Sunshine Sachs Consultants] and Keleigh Thomas Morgan. Hysterically, she described Buckingham Palace's fury at 'Wild About Harry'. Sunshine Sachs said Meghan should have ensured that her comments about Harry were removed. Why wasn't the focus on her philanthropy and activism?" Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the Escuela Tambores de Cabildo during The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Colombia Visit on August 17, 2024, in Cartagena, Colombia. (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Eric Charbonneau)
"Ken Sunshine feared that Meghan would fire his agency," said the author before claiming that Sunshine called the magazine's editor to deliver what "he imagined to be the ultimate threat. 'You're going to have to deal with the Queen on this,' he said... The furious monarch, he imagined, like Trump, would pick up the phone and berate the editor. The editor was bemused."
December 1, 2017: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Step Out For Their First Royal Engagement. pic.twitter.com/yEkytKZcwO
— Layla M 안정연 (@RegalGemini) December 1, 2023 Harry and Markle's decision to downplay their romance wasn't entirely unexpected, given that Harry publicly acknowledged their relationship through an official statement from Kensington Palace. In this statement, he bravely addressed the issue of racial bias present in media coverage and social media.
On November 8, 2016, Prince Harry released a statement appealing to the press to reflect on their relentless attacks on his then-girlfriend Meghan Markle and their intrusion on everyone she has ever been associated with before further damage is done. pic.twitter.com/0JTufVwddM
"The past week has seen a line crossed... [Meghan] has experienced an upsurge in harassment and abuse. A portion of this has been made public, including the defamation that appeared on a national newspaper's front page, the racial undertones in comment sections, and the overtly racist and sexist remarks made by trolls on social media and in online articles," the statement read, as per The Mirror. The young prince's concern for his partner was evident as the statement read, "Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her... This is not a game – it is her life and his."
This article was earlier published two months ago.
