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Prince Harry rebukes British press 'abuse' of girlfriend Meghan Markle

Prince Harry has issued an official statement rebuking the media for the "wave of abuse and harassment" his new girlfriend has been subjected to. 

In an unprecedented move by the Palace and for such a senior member of the royal family, Harry, in a lengthy memo, has outlined the efforts some have gone to for stories regarding his new partner, American actor Meghan Markle. 

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Prince Harry condemns 'harassment' of girlfriend

'A line had been crossed', writes Prince Harry about press coverage of his new American girlfriend, actress Meghan Markle.

"Her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker and loved one in her life," the statement read. 

The palace refused to comment on the romance when news broke a little over a week ago that Harry, 32, and the 35-year-old Toronto-based star had been secretly dating for months. 

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Since then, the Suits actress has been at the centre of a media cyclone which has, according to the Palace, resulted in a maelstrom of sexist and racist commentary online and via "the smear on the front page of a national newspaper". 

"Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her," the statement continued, while confirming the pair have been in a relationship for "a few months". 

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"He knows that 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."

The complaint about a "front page smear" probably refers to The Sun's front page 'exclusive' last week claiming "Harry Girl's on Pornhub", saying she could "be seen stripping off and groaning" in the video, compiled from scenes from Suits.

The Mirror followed the story up online, publishing its own video of "Meghan Markle in raunchy sex scene" and saying a similar video of "steamy scenes… of her stripping off and straddling co-star Patrick J Adams, and in lacy underwear, have been watched more than 40,000 times on the X-rated site."

Over the weekend the Daily Star Sunday promoted a story on "Harry's girl sex pics shocker" off its front page.The story turned out to be about fake photographs featuring "Snaps with the US actress' head superimposed on to the body of a porn star … published on an X-rated site."

"The images are fake and of poor taste," the newspaper said, reproducing one of the images with some areas pixelated, sourcing them to a "porn website".

The Daily Star Sunday along with the Sunday Express was the first newspaper to break news of the relationship.

Another Sun story read "Prince Harry 'was secretly dating David Gandy's ex while wooing Meghan Markle'".

The reference in the Kensington Palace statement to 'racial undertones' may refer to a piece in the Daily Mail on Markle's background, which referred to her "mixed-race heritage… more ordinary than the super-aspirational middle-class Middletons", an ancestor who was a freed slave, and her childhood white and black Barbie dolls chosen to "reflect her biracial heritage".

Many tabloids, and the Daily Telegraph, also ran stories quoting disparaging comments on Markle from her estranged half-sister.

Last Wednesday The Sun ran that story as a front page exclusive, with the banner headline "Princess Pushy".

Gossip columnist Alex Wickham on Tuesday published a part of what he claimed was a confidential complaint to press regulator IPSO from "representatives of Meghan Markle".

According to the excerpt "Ms Markle says that she and her mother have been the subject of harassment by journalists abroad".

The Mail Online has published paparazzi photos of Markle taken outside her Toronto home, and has also 'doorstepped' her mother in Los Angeles and interviewed neighbours in the LA area where she grew up, according to Press Gazette.

A police car was stationed outside her Canada home due to the level of media interest.

BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said editors in the UK might abide by the prince's requests but foreign publishers probably would not.

And the BBC's Peter Hunt  said the "cri de Coeur" from Harry might backfire, as he tried to appeal to newspaper editors' better nature.

"In going public, Prince Harry has confirmed his relationship of a few months with Meghan Markle," he said. "There'll be those in Buckingham Palace who'll appreciate his pain, but who'll question the wisdom of issuing this statement."

The young royal has had a turbulent relationship with the press ever since the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, following a car chase involving paparazzi through a Paris tunnel in 1997. 

In 2008, while serving with British troops in Afghanistan, an agreement between the British Ministry of Defence and the media was broken when three outlets, including Australia's New Idea, published details of his top secret mission before the end of his tour where he was directing air strikes. 

Since then he has attempted to build a rapport with the press to publicise his charitable causes and his beloved Invictus Games, where he reportedly first met Markle earlier this year. This official smackdown is not the first time Harry had broken with protocol. 

In May, the rebellious royal cast his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in a social media campaign with the Obamas to promote the event for disabled servicemen and women.

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