“I lost my mother”: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan hit back
The Duke of Sussex has issued a statement condemning a “ruthless” media campaign against his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
Prince Harry has expressed his “deepest fear” is his wife suffering the same fate as his mother did, the late Princess Diana, who died in 1997.
In a personally released statement, the 35-year-old royal said they were being forced to take action against the “bullying”.
"I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces,” he said.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be taking legal action against British tabloid the Daily Mail over publishing a private letter by the Duchess, which the couple allege was done so illegally.
He also said what was published had been edited to hide “lies” reported about her.
Prince Harry condemned claims that have been thrown at the couple over the last months, admitting the process had been a “painful” experience for both of them.
“Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences — a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son,” Harry said on the Royal Family’s official website.
“There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face — as so many of you can relate to — I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been.”
The Duke referenced the coverage of his mother Princess Di by saying his “deepest fear is history repeating itself”.
“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,” he wrote.
“Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one. 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.”
The Duke and Duchess are suing Associated Newspapers which is the parent company of Mail on Sunday.
The lawsuit has been issued over the misuse of private information, breach of the UK’s Data Protection Act 2018 and infringement of copyright.
Duchess Meghan wrote a heartfelt and emotional letter to her father, Thomas Markle Senior, which he released to Mail on Sunday three months after the royal wedding in August 2018.
Prince Harry wrote: “this particular legal action hinges on one incident in a long and disturbing pattern of behaviour by British tabloid media”.
“The contents of a private letter were published unlawfully in an intentionally destructive manner to manipulate you, the reader, and further the divisive agenda of the media group in question,” he said.
Mail on Sunday released their own statement, denying the royal’s claims.
“The Mail on Sunday stands by the story it published and will be defending this case vigorously. Specifically, we categorically deny that the Duchess’s letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning,” a spokesperson said.
Prince Harry also went on to point out in his statement that the coverage which is seemingly positive of his wife exposes the “double standards” of the press pack that “vilified her almost daily,” over the course of a year.
“They have been able to create lie after lie at her expense simply because she has not been visible while on maternity leave. 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,” he said.
“For these select media this is a game, and one that we have been unwilling to play from the start. 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.”
The legal proceedings are being privately funded by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and any potential proceeds received in award damages will be donated to an anti-bullying charity.