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In a rare move, The Duke of Sussex released an emotional statement earlier this week, condemning the “ruthless” treatment his wife, The Duchess of Sussex, has received at the hands of the British tabloids.
In the statement, Harry spoke of how “painful” it had been to “put on a brave face” over the past year, saying he has been “a silent witness to [Meghan’s] private suffering for too long.”
He also referenced the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, saying his deepest fear is history repeating itself.
“I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are longer treated or seen as a real person,” Harry penned.
“I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”
But it seems Harry’s powerful statement, which was published to the couple’s official website, was not welcomed by the most senior aides at Buckingham Palace.
According to a report by The Times, Harry was warned against releasing the emotionally charged statement, defending Meghan. (Image: Getty)
According to The Times, Harry had been so upset and angry about the treatment of his wife by sections of the media that he pushed for the statement to go out, going against the advice of senior advisors who warned him it would overshadow the tail-end of the couple’s royal tour of southern Africa.
The publication reports Prince Harry wrote the entire statement himself without the help of his team, including the couple’s communications secretary Sara Latham and their private secretary Samantha Cohen.
As news.co.au reports, press in South Africa have reported the royal communications team on the ground were “visibly embarrassed” by the statement and forced press have to side-line coverage of the engagements the Sussexes’ wished to highlight, to cover the statement first.
ITV royal editor Chris Ship also questioned whether it had been the right timing, saying that after pulling off an extremely successful tour, it ended on “a rather sour note for both his team and the large numbers of press.”
Harry’s statement accompanied the news that the couple was taking legal action against British newspaper The Mail On Sunday for the publication of a private letter Meghan wrote to her father Thomas Markle.
In a statement by Schillings, the couple’s legal representatives, it is explained: “We have initiated legal proceedings against the Mail on Sunday, its parent company Associated Newspapers, over the intrusive and unlawful publication of a private letter written by the Duchess of Sussex, which part of a campaign by this media group to publish false and deliberately derogatory stories about her, as well as her husband.
“Given the refusal of Associated Newspapers to resolve this issue satisfactorily, we have issued proceedings to redress this breach of privacy, infringement of copyright and the aforementioned media agenda.”
The statement also adds that the case is being privately funded by Harry and Meghan and pending the court ruling, proceeds from any damages will be donated to an anti-bullying charity.
