Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry have faced intense scrutiny from the U.K. tabloids ever since the royals made their debut as a couple in September 2017.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have weathered a media storm of public criticism from announcing their engagement in November 2017 to their wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018 followed by the birth of their son, Archie, in May 2019. On October 1, 2019, Prince Harry announced they were filing a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday in the U.K., for publishing a private letter Meghan sent to her estranged father, Thomas Markle.
In a statement, Harry called for a stop to the press’ “ruthless campaign” of “false and malicious” reports against Meghan. “There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behaviour, because it destroys people and destroys lives,” Harry said. “Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people. We all know this isn’t acceptable, at any level.”
A source told Us Weekly at the time that “Meghan comes across as a strong woman but she’s been deeply affected by the negative stories about her.” The insider added that Harry is worried that the press could have “an impact on his relationship with Meghan, as well as their relationship with the royal family and the public.”
Meghan opened up about her struggles with the negative media attention in an emotional interview for the documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. The film followed the couple and their 5-month-old son, Archie’s tour through South Africa.
“Look, any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable,” she told ITV News at Ten’s Tom Bradby. “And so that was made really challenging, and then, when you have a newborn, you know?”
She added, “Especially as a woman, it’s really … it’s a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom and trying to be a newlywed … And also thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”
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But many of the couple’s famous friends have spoken out publicly in support of their fight. Scroll down for the stars who’ve publicly voiced their support for Meghan and Harry.