The Royal Family has made the decision to quietly remove the 2016 statement from Prince Harry confirming his romance with Meghan Markle from its website.
The internet archive website, Wayback Machine, allowed access to the statement’s link on Dec. 3, 2023. However, one week later, the link took users to a broken page, indicating the statement’s removal from the website.
In the statement, Prince Harry addressed the heavy criticism towards Meghan Markle after he announced his relationship with the Suites alum.
“His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment,” the Prince’s spokesperson stated. “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 spokesperson continued by stating some of the racial undertones have been hidden from the public. It was noted that the Prince noticed similar media tactics that his mother, Princess Diana, endured.
“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her,” the spokesperson also said. “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.”
In his book, Spare, Harry wrote about the statement, noting it was everywhere. However, its words changed nothing about the public’s criticism towards Meghan. “The onslaught continued,” he then noted.
Prince Harry Reveals His Father and Brother Were ‘Furious’ About the Statement
Prince Harry also revealed that his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, were “furious” about the statement. “Because they’d never put out a statement for their girlfriends or wives when they were being harassed,” he wrote.
Harry then wrote that he wanted to speak out about the situation, despite the Royal Family’s traditional policy to stay silent about personal matters. “We needed a statement out there,” he recalled. “Within a day we had a draft. Strong, precise, angry, honest.”
Harry and Meghan tied the knot in 2018 and now share two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. In 2020, they shocked the Royal Family by stepping down as working members. They then relocated to Meghan’s home state, California.
Originally individual profiles, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are now in one profile on the Royal Family’s website. Their children’s bios are also missing from the family’s homepage.