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A large number of female members of Parliament in the UK have penned an open letter to the Duchess of Sussex to express they were standing in solidarity with her in taking a stand against the “often distasteful and misleading” press.
The joint letter, led by UK Labour Party MP Holly Lynch and signed by 72 female MPs across political parties was shared by Holly on Twitter, along with the following caption: “Women MPs from all political parties have put aside our differences to stand in solidarity with the Duchess of Sussex today and are sending her this open letter.”
“We wanted to express our solidarity with you in taking a stand against the often distasteful and misleading nature of the stories printed in a number of our national newspapers concerning you, your character and your family,” the letter begins.
“On occasion, stories and headlines have represented an invasion of your privacy and have sought to cast aspersions about your character, without any good reason as far as we can see,” the letter continues.
“Even more concerning still, we are calling out what can only be described as outdated, colonial undertones to some of these stories. As women Members of Parliament from all backgrounds, we stand with you in saying it cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.”
They continue that although the nature of how and why they are in the public eye is very different to Meghan, they share an understanding of the “abuse and intimidation which is now so often used as a means of disparaging women in public office from getting on with our very important work.”
They conclude: “With this in mind we expect the national media to have the integrity to know when a story is in the national interest, and when it is seeking to tear a woman down for no apparent reason.
“You have our assurances that we stand with you in solidarity on this. We will use the means at our disposal to ensure that our press accepts your right to privacy and show respect, and that their stories reflect the truth.”
The MPs’ open letter comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were taking a stand against the malicious and false reports about them and their family. (Image: ITV News)
The open letter follows a rare statement shared by The Duke of Sussex earlier this month condemning the “ruthless” treatment his wife Meghan has endured while also announcing the couple would be suing British newspaper The Mail on Sunday for their publication of a private letter Meghan wrote to her father Thomas Markle.
In the statement, Prince Harry wrote of how he felt Meghan has been one of “the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequence.”
He continued, “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.”
Just weeks later an ITV documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, following their recent tour of southern Africa aired in the UK, which featured rare and honest one-on-one interviews with both Harry and Meghan where they both admitted they were struggling with the immense pressure and scrutiny behind closed doors.
WATCH: Duchess Meghan admits she was naive and that she was warned the tabloids “will destroy your life”. Story continues below…
As well as admitting she was ‘not okay’ in her interview with presenter Tom Bradby, she also confessed she “very naively” didn’t understand what she was truly getting herself into with the British tabloids when she married into the royal family.
However, she adds, “the biggest thing that I know is that I never thought that [being a member of the royal family] would be easy, but I thought it would be fair. And that’s the part that’s really hard to reconcile.”
Meanwhile, Prince Harry spoke at length about how the media’s presence was a constant reminder of his mother Princess Diana’s death and also addressed the rumours of a rift between him and his older brother Prince William.
WATCH: Prince Harry on his ‘rift’ with Prince William. Story continues below…
Following the airing of the documentary – it aired in New Zealand on Monday night – the couple, as expected, have received both support and criticism. While many people have expressed their support for the couple and empathise with Meghan’s struggles as a new mum, others have found it was a bad oversight that this part of the documentary greatly overshadowed the great work and causes they were wanting to highlight in the south African countries they visited.
It’ll be unsurprising to hear then that the couple are planning to spend some time away where they’ll be taking an extended break from royal duties from mid-November to travel to the US with six-month-old Archie to spend Thanksgiving with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, before returning to the UK to spend Christmas at Sandringham with the royal family.
