Since the announcement of his relationship with Meghan Markle in an official statement in 2016, Prince Harry has developed a mature and protective side to his personality – far from being known as the easy-going and fun-loving younger brother of his older sibling, the future king.
In a recent feud between the Sussexes and the press involving a lawsuit against Mail on Sunday, Prince Harry has proven once again that he’s willing to take concrete actions against any person or institution that treats his wife wrongly.
“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,” he wrote in an official statement.
The announcement revealed that the legal move against Associated Papers, parent company of Mail on Sunday tabloid, took “many months in the making”.
“This particular legal action hinges on one incident in a long and disturbing pattern of behaviour by British tabloid media. The contents of a private letter were published unlawfully in an intentionally destructive manner to manipulate you, the reader, and further the divisive agenda of the media group in question.”
This bold move is just one of the several times the Duke of Sussex has shown the world how far he is willing to go to protect Meghan Markle. The following are four other moments Prince Harry has revealed his protective side:
The recent legal feud with a tabloid is not the couple’s first unfortunate encounter with the press. Prince Harry confirmed his relationship with Markle through an official statement in 2016 but instead of a romantic declaration, the statement was to decry the press’ treatment of Markle which he described as “a wave of abuse and harassment”.
Early this year, the Sussex couple took criticism for the use of private jets several times for trips despite claiming to be environment advocates. He quickly answered the critics during an eco-tourism talk in Amsterdam that flying private was a move to ensure the safety of his family.
His determination for safety and privacy of his loved ones extended to his son, Archie, as soon as he was born. The birth of the seventh-in-line to the throne rattled the press when much of the details of his birth had been kept private, unlike the well-coordinated release of information during the birth of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children.
It was only when Archie’s birth certificate was revealed that the public found out that he was born in a hospital and not at their home. Two months later, the media would once again be surprised by the couple’s decision to keep Archie’s christening ceremony private including the identity of his godparents.
Prince Harry’s protectiveness of his family, especially in dealing with the press, had often been attributed to the memory of losing his mother who died in a car accident while he was just 12.
“They hated their mother’s celebrity live and they grew to really hate the photographers that were always surrounding her,” said Majesty Magazine editor Ingrid Seward on Netflix’s “The Royals” documentary. “They still blame the press for their mother’s death, which they would do.”
In the statement about the lawsuit, Prince Harry wrote that taking legal actions against the press is driven by his deepest fear of “history repeating itself”.
“I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces,” he wrote.
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