Prince Harry finally admitted he has a girlfriend while firing back at the racist trolls who insulted her
The INSIDER Summary:
Prince Harry recently started dating American actress Meghan Markle.
Markle has been subject to online harassment because she is biracial.
Prince Harry just released a statement condemning the hurtful comments.
For weeks, rumors have circulated about a potential romance between Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle, 35, who's best known for her role on the USA Network TV show "Suits."
Today, the 32-year-old prince confirmed his relationship - but the announcement wasn't a joyous one.
A lengthy statement from the Royal's communications secretary released on Tuesday morning said Markle "has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment" online comments sections, in the news media, and even in person.
"Some of this has been very public - the smear on the front of national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments," the statement continued.
The official Kensington Palace Twitter account tweeted out the statement:
Here it is in full:
Markle is biracial - her mother is black and her father is white - and tabloid coverage of the actress has ranged from plain old invasive to downright offensive.
One Daily Mail article described Markle, who grew up in Los Angeles, "(almost) straight outta Compton." Another made note of her "rich and exotic DNA" and said Markle's mother was "a dreadlocked African-American lady from the wrong side of the tracks."
Markle and her family have faced in-person encounters with the media, too. The statement mentions "her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door" and "the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to [Markle's] home."
"It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm," the statement continued. "[Prince Harry] 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. "
Markle has not commented publicly on the story at the time of this post.