According to reports, Prince Harry was afraid Meghan Markle would dump him if he didn't speak out against the media's treatment of the Duchess of Sussex. In November 2016, Prince Harry made a rare move by issuing a statement requesting the media and the public to respect the privacy of his then-girlfriend Meghan Markle.
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Paranoid paradise
The Duke of Sussex slammed the media for their coverage of Meghan in 2016, claiming she had been subjected to a wave of abuse and harassment. Reportedly, Harry instructed his office to issue a statement attacking the media to defend Meghan. Harry's communications secretary, Jason Knauf, issued a statement condemning the racial overtones of comment pieces as well as the plain misogyny and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.
According to The Times, while it was unusual for Harry to make such a public statement about his personal life at the time, he did so out of worry that Meghan might stop their relationship. His staff is alleged to have been compelled to undertake a full-fledged defence of Meghan, which a spokesman for the couple denies. A source confirmed to The Times:
He was very exercised about some of that coverage. He definitely felt that if nothing was done to support her, then she would be, 'I'm not sure this is what I signed up for'
Another one added:
He was freaking out, saying, 'she's going to dump me'
However, according to a spokesman for the couple, the news is totally fake and holds no truth in it.
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Dating royalty
Previous high-profile relationships for Harry have ended because of the media attention that comes with dating a member of the royal family. Chelsy Davy, Harry's previous fiancée, admitted in 2017 that she couldn't cope with being in the spotlight with him. As such Harry's defending statement for Meghan, authored by his communications secretary, Jason Knauf, said:
Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle's safety and is 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.
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.
