Meghan: A Hollywood Princess(56)
Amid these media histrionics their communications secretary Jason Knauf drafted a lengthy statement that addressed Harry’s concerns and complaints. There was no hiding the anger and distress that suffused the bulletin, the voice of a young man trying to protect the woman he loved—and preserve their future together. On November 8, Kensington Palace formally released the extraordinary statement. It acknowledged that there would be curiosity about his private life, but the past week “has seen a line crossed.”
“His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. 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. Some of it has been hidden from the public—the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life.
“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.”
While the prince’s statement helped calm the hysteria, his formal confirmation that Meghan was indeed his girlfriend meant that all media outlets, not just the British tabloids, now saw Meghan as a possible royal bride. Picture editors around the world scoured their back catalogues for shots of the latest royal-in-waiting. A photograph of her modeling a wedding dress for a scene from Suits was manna from heaven.
Her now official proximity to the royal family became the new agenda, several newspapers wrongly reporting that Meghan had helped Harry celebrate his thirty-second birthday at Balmoral, and that during her time in the Scottish Highlands she had even met with Prince Charles, who found her “charming.”
Though the story was incorrect, they were on the right scent. Meghan was indeed now an accepted part of the royal furniture—as senior journalist Richard Kay, who had been a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales, discovered when, on November 10, 2016, he popped out of his office to buy a sandwich for his lunch.
As he strolled down busy Kensington High Street he could scarcely believe his eyes when he spotted Meghan walking along the road, holding two bags filled with produce from the Whole Foods Market store.
He followed her back to Kensington Palace and saw her waved through security into the grounds. It was an obvious sign that the relationship between the actor and the fifth in line to the throne was “serious.” Kay observed: “The timing of Miss Markle’s visit is hugely significant, not least because it appears she was in the UK when Harry publicly declared his love for her.”
What was even more telling was the fact that Meghan had spent only two days with Harry before flying back to Toronto to resume filming of Suits. Now that was commitment, the actor taking the trouble to see her boyfriend before he embarked on an official two-week tour of the Caribbean.
On the tour he would be representing the Queen at independence anniversary celebrations in Barbados, Guyana, and Antigua. It was a test of his mettle—and he knew full well that his grandmother would be monitoring his progress, as it was one of his first overseas tours to represent Her Majesty. It would prove to be an official tour of more import than he realized at the time.
Among many other activities he took an AIDS test with superstar Rihanna in Barbados, observed a minute’s silence for Fidel Castro in St. Vincent, and played cricket in St. Lucia.
Harry managed to remain cool when, at a reception for three hundred guests, Antiguan prime minister Gaston Browne suggested he and Meghan should return to the island for their honeymoon. “I believe we are expecting a new princess soon. I want you to know that you are very welcome to come on your honeymoon here,” he was reported to have said. Harry was later introduced to a group of scantily clad models with the words: “Whatever is done here, stays here. So don’t worry.” The prince said nothing but afterward told aides he found the incident “pretty distasteful.”
Not that Meghan was worried. He was in constant touch with her via Skype, reporting back on the progress of his solo visit. He was given full marks by the trailing media, royal editor Camilla Tominey commenting: “With his American girlfriend Meghan Markle putting a spring in his step, it’s fair to say Prince Harry has rarely been on better form. Comfortable in his own skin and completely at ease with the spotlight being shone on his official duties as the queen’s representative overseas, he has truly come of age.”
Though the attendant media were assured that the prince was heading back to London, it was a red herring. Harry took a 1,700-mile detour to spend a few precious hours holed up in Meghan’s rented house in Toronto. Her followers had the first clue that Harry was on his way when Meghan posted a picture of herself wearing a necklace with M and H as well as a snap of her beagle, Guy, in his Union Jack jumper. For the first time, a grand royal passion was being played out before the eyes on social media. Not that such access would last long. Within forty-eight hours the prince was flying back to London. He had just time enough to take a shower before he was on parade in the City of London answering phones and joking with callers for an annual charity fund-raiser where his charity Sentebale was a recipient.