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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/27/a-wave-of-abuse-how-prince-harrys-relationship-announcement-meghan-markle-attacked-the-press
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| 'Wave of abuse': how Harry and Meghan endured unwelcome media scrutiny | 'Wave of abuse': how Harry and Meghan endured unwelcome media scrutiny |
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| “Since he was young, Prince Harry has been very aware of the warmth that has been extended to him by members of the public.” | “Since he was young, Prince Harry has been very aware of the warmth that has been extended to him by members of the public.” |
| That was the start of the statement that announced to the world in November 2016 that Prince Harry was in a relationship with Meghan Markle, the Canada-based and Los Angeles-born actor. | That was the start of the statement that announced to the world in November 2016 that Prince Harry was in a relationship with Meghan Markle, the Canada-based and Los Angeles-born actor. |
| However, rather than a heart-warming expression of his love for her, the statement was an unprecedented attack on the British press by the prince for its coverage and harassment of Markle. | However, rather than a heart-warming expression of his love for her, the statement was an unprecedented attack on the British press by the prince for its coverage and harassment of Markle. |
| Despite the fact the couple’s relationship has played out in public over the subsequent year – with the prince and Markle offering just enough public appearances and comments to satisfy interest – this first statement highlighted his distaste for the media’s interest in his private life. | Despite the fact the couple’s relationship has played out in public over the subsequent year – with the prince and Markle offering just enough public appearances and comments to satisfy interest – this first statement highlighted his distaste for the media’s interest in his private life. |
| The pair meet in London through friends and begin a relationship. | The pair meet in London through friends and begin a relationship. |
| News breaks that the prince and Markle are dating. | News breaks that the prince and Markle are dating. |
| Kensington Palace confirms in an unprecedented statement that they are dating. The prince attacks the media over its “abuse and harassment” of his girlfriend. | Kensington Palace confirms in an unprecedented statement that they are dating. The prince attacks the media over its “abuse and harassment” of his girlfriend. |
| Markle is spotted in London amid unconfirmed reports she is enjoying her first stay at Kensington Palace since the relationship was made public. | Markle is spotted in London amid unconfirmed reports she is enjoying her first stay at Kensington Palace since the relationship was made public. |
| Markle reportedly meets the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte for the first time in London. | Markle reportedly meets the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte for the first time in London. |
| The engagement looks set when Markle graces the cover of US magazine Vanity Fair and speaks openly about Harry for the first time, revealing: “We’re two people who are really happy and in love.” | The engagement looks set when Markle graces the cover of US magazine Vanity Fair and speaks openly about Harry for the first time, revealing: “We’re two people who are really happy and in love.” |
| Markle makes her first appearance at an official engagement attended by the prince when she attends the Invictus Games opening ceremony in Toronto, Canada – although the pair sit about 18 seats apart. | Markle makes her first appearance at an official engagement attended by the prince when she attends the Invictus Games opening ceremony in Toronto, Canada – although the pair sit about 18 seats apart. |
| It emerges that the prince has taken Markle to meet his grandmother, the Queen, whose permission they need to marry. They met over afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace. | It emerges that the prince has taken Markle to meet his grandmother, the Queen, whose permission they need to marry. They met over afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace. |
| The prince’s aides are reported to have been told to start planning for a royal wedding, with senior members of the royal family asked to look at their diaries to shortlist a series of suitable weekends in 2018. | The prince’s aides are reported to have been told to start planning for a royal wedding, with senior members of the royal family asked to look at their diaries to shortlist a series of suitable weekends in 2018. |
| Markle is spotted in London, prompting speculation she is preparing for an engagement announcement. | Markle is spotted in London, prompting speculation she is preparing for an engagement announcement. |
| Clarence House announces the engagement, and the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh say they are “delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness”. | Clarence House announces the engagement, and the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh say they are “delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness”. |
| The prince’s press secretary accused the media of introducing “racial overtones” into comment pieces on his relationship with Markle and claimed that she had been subjected to a “wave of abuse and harassment”. It added: “Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her.” | The prince’s press secretary accused the media of introducing “racial overtones” into comment pieces on his relationship with Markle and claimed that she had been subjected to a “wave of abuse and harassment”. It added: “Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her.” |
| As speculation about their relationship grew in the months before this statement, articles had included a Sun piece headlined “Harry girl’s on Pornhub”, which was about clips of Markle from the legal drama series Suits appearing on an adult website, and a comment in the Mail On Sunday by Rachel Johnson that said if the couple had children “the Windsors will thicken their watery, thin blue blood and Spencer pale skin and ginger hair with some rich and exotic DNA”. Markle’s father, Thomas, is white and her mother, Doria Ragland, is African American. | As speculation about their relationship grew in the months before this statement, articles had included a Sun piece headlined “Harry girl’s on Pornhub”, which was about clips of Markle from the legal drama series Suits appearing on an adult website, and a comment in the Mail On Sunday by Rachel Johnson that said if the couple had children “the Windsors will thicken their watery, thin blue blood and Spencer pale skin and ginger hair with some rich and exotic DNA”. Markle’s father, Thomas, is white and her mother, Doria Ragland, is African American. |
| There was another clash with the media when the Mail Online – the biggest English language website in the world – published photographs of the prince on a private beach in Jamaica while on holiday with Markle. The Independent Press Standards Organisation ruled that his privacy had been breached by the use of a long-lens camera. The prince encouraged the press regulator to order Mail Online to publish the ruling against it at the top of its website, which it did. | There was another clash with the media when the Mail Online – the biggest English language website in the world – published photographs of the prince on a private beach in Jamaica while on holiday with Markle. The Independent Press Standards Organisation ruled that his privacy had been breached by the use of a long-lens camera. The prince encouraged the press regulator to order Mail Online to publish the ruling against it at the top of its website, which it did. |
| Markle did not make her first comments about the relationship until September – 10 months after the initial statement – and they were not even seen together until 25 September, when they were photographed at the Invictus Games, a sporting event for injured soldiers set up by the prince. | Markle did not make her first comments about the relationship until September – 10 months after the initial statement – and they were not even seen together until 25 September, when they were photographed at the Invictus Games, a sporting event for injured soldiers set up by the prince. |
| Meghan Markle is an American actor, best known for her role in the hit series Suits. She has described herself as “an actress, a writer, the editor-in-chief of my lifestyle brand the Tig, a pretty good cook, and a firm believer in handwritten notes”. She has also campaigned for humanitarian causes. | |
| The 36-year-old grew up in Los Angeles. She studied at a girls’ Roman Catholic college there before attending Northwestern University. Recently she has lived in Toronto. She is the daughter of a clinical therapist and a TV lighting designer. Markle has written about her mixed heritage, describing herself as “a strong, confident mixed-race woman”. She was married once before, to film producer Trevor Engelson, but the pair were divorced in 2013. | |
| Since news of her relationship with Prince Harry broke in 2016, she has closed her blog and given an interview in which she described the couple as “really happy and in love”. She said: “Nothing about me changed. I’ve never defined myself by my relationship.” She will become a duchess or princess when the couple wed. | Since news of her relationship with Prince Harry broke in 2016, she has closed her blog and given an interview in which she described the couple as “really happy and in love”. She said: “Nothing about me changed. I’ve never defined myself by my relationship.” She will become a duchess or princess when the couple wed. |
| Markle’s comments were to Vanity Fair magazine rather than UK newspapers. She revealed they had met in London through friends in July 2016 and were now “really happy and in love”. She said scrutiny of the couple since their relationship became public “has its challenges” but that she has not changed. “We’re a couple. We’re in love,” she said. “I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time.” | Markle’s comments were to Vanity Fair magazine rather than UK newspapers. She revealed they had met in London through friends in July 2016 and were now “really happy and in love”. She said scrutiny of the couple since their relationship became public “has its challenges” but that she has not changed. “We’re a couple. We’re in love,” she said. “I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time.” |
| Now, as it is announced their relationship is taking the next step, so will their relationship with the media. | Now, as it is announced their relationship is taking the next step, so will their relationship with the media. |