Prince Harry defended Duchess Meghan in a passionate, 560-word statement on Tuesday, October 1, calling out the “bullying” the Suits alum has endured during their relationship.
“She is the same woman she was a year ago on our wedding day, just as she is the same woman you’ve seen on this Africa tour,” the 35-year-old told the public. (Harry and Meghan, 38, are in the middle of a two-week royal visit to southern Africa with their son, Archie, 4 months.)
He continued: “I have been a silent witness to her private suffering for too long. To stand back and do nothing would be contrary to everything we believe in. … There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behaviour, because it destroys people and destroys lives. Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people. We all know this isn’t acceptable, at any level. We won’t and can’t believe in a world where there is no accountability for this.”
The Army Air Corps vet also cited his late mother, Princess Diana, who died in 1997 at age 37 amid intense scrutiny following her divorce from Prince Charles.
“My deepest fear is history repeating itself,” he wrote. “I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”
He concluded: “We thank you, the public, for your continued support. It is hugely appreciated. Although it may not seem like it, we really need it.”
Harry also defended the former actress in November 2016 in his first confirmation of their relationship, decrying the “wave of abuse and harassment” that had plagued her since the news of their romance broke.
“It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,” Harry’s communications secretary said at the time. “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.”
