In her new book, Harry: Life, Loss and Love, Kate Nicholl, a Vanity Fair contributor, provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what happened for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when their relationship first hit the tabloids. In late October 2016, their relationship became public and a week later, Prince Harry took the unprecedented step of releasing an official statement from Kensington Palace, asking the press to respect Markle’s privacy. The couple was forced to work hard for some peace and quiet after the world knew of their relationship, and Nicholl’s book explains the great strides the two went to in order to keep their relationship flourishing. Nicholl writes that when the story broke, the prince was with Markle in Toronto. The couple took shelter with Markle’s friends, Ben and Jessica Mulroney. Spread over three floors, the Mulroney’s home became a safe place for Meghan and Harry because no one knew where they were. Then in November 2016, Markle flew to London to visit Harry, but the actress told friends she was convinced the British press was “out to get her.” She and her mother were constantly hounded. That is when Harry released the public statement, acknowledging that Meghan Markle was his girlfriend and that she had been “subject to a wave of abuse and harassment” that was sexual and racist. It was the most powerfully worded public defense of privacy any member of the royal family had ever issued, writes Nicholl. Prince Harry was criticized and it opened a debate about press freedom.
Kensington Palace has issued a statement this morning about the harassment currently being experienced by Meghan Markle and her family. pic.twitter.com/EuFZ4fmUIj
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 8, 2016
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