How Harry lashed out at intrusion ... just ten months ago
Meghan Markle’s remarkably candid interview comes ten months after Prince harry sanctioned an unprecedented statement calling for people to give the couple space.
In it he lashed out at media ‘intrusion’ and said he was worried about his girlfriend’s safety after what he claimed was a ‘wave of abuse and harassment’ that followed the news of their relationship.
he also complained about what he said were racial and sexual smears in the media and online.
The prince said he was aware of the ‘significant curiosity’ about his private life, and had tried to develop a ‘thick skin’ over it, but had ‘never been comfortable with this.’
The statement added: ‘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.’
given the strength of his words, Miss Markle’s decision to be so open about their relationship – albeit in a very positive and romantic way – took some royal commentators by surprise yesterday.
her openness ensured that the Vanity Fair interview – which made the cover under the banner ‘She’s Just Wild about harry’ – made headlines around the world.
Sources later confirmed that she was speaking with harry’s implicit knowledge and, it is assumed, blessing.
But the decision may well expose both her and the prince to accusations of hypocrisy given his emotional call for privacy last november.
In a recent BBC documentary to mark the 20th anniversary of his late mother’s death, harry’s brother Prince William himself highlighted the danger of opening up when speaking about Princess Diana’s infamous Panorama interview.
he said: ‘I can understand having sometimes been in those situations you feel incredibly desperate and it is very unfair that things are being said that are untrue.
‘The easiest thing to do is just to say or go to the media yourself. Open that door. [But] once you’ve opened it you can never close it again.’