A 2016 statement by Prince Harry condemning UK media treatment of Meghan Markle has been quietly removed from the royal family’s official website. The strongly worded message, which reportedly angered King Charles and Prince William, had remained online for over seven years before its recent disappearance.
A statement defending Meghan Markle has mysteriously vanished. Newsweek reported that the link was quietly removed in December 2023. The statement was originally issued after a controversial Daily Mail headline about Meghan’s background. It also marked the first time Harry publicly confirmed their relationship.
“The past week has seen a line crossed,” the statement read. “His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment.
“Some of this has been very public — the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”
The statement further emphasized that Harry was “worried” about Markle’s safety and “deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her.”
“It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,” it continued.
“He knows 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.”
Issuing this statement was a bold and unprecedented step for Harry.
Up until that point, the royal family had strictly adhered to the mantra, “Never complain, never explain” when dealing with the media.
In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry, 39, revealed that his decision to break that tradition had deeply angered his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William. According to him, the move exposed their failure to publicly defend their own spouses, Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton.
“My statement generated a whole new onslaught — from my family,” he recalled in the book. “Pa and Willy were furious. They gave me an earful. My statement made them look bad, they both said. ‘Why in hell?’ Because they’d never put out a statement for their girlfriends or wives when they were being harassed.”
This isn’t the first time the palace has made adjustments to Harry’s page on its website. Earlier this year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s individual profiles were merged into a condensed joint biography.
The pair, who tied the knot in May 2018, stepped down from their roles as senior royals in January 2020.
Buckingham Palace did not respond to requests for comment.