Maybe it’s because I’ve been binge-watching The Crown (probably), or maybe it’s because in my heart I truly believed Prince Harry and I could make it work, but on this, the most important day in modern American history, I am here for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
As you know (because you obviously know), Harry and Meghan–who stars in Suits–went public last week, and in the wake of this revelation, the press has gotten majorly racist. And aggressive. And terrible. So Harry stepped up like a goddamn human man and called that shit out via an official statement.
“The past week a line has been crossed,” read the letter. “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.”
“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her,” it continues. “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 that ‘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.”
Goddamn.
You can read the letter in full on your own time, but let the record state that neither Harry nor William or anybody in the Royal Family has ever stepped up to say, “First of all, everybody fuck off. Second of all, yes, this is my official girlfriend, so please consult the first point again.” Which is pretty cool. And especially so when you remember that Harry’s history of racial awareness isn’t exactly dazzling (to say the least–see: the Nazi uniform he wore to a party about 10 years ago, among other things).
So here’s to Harry stepping up to do the right thing, particularly since he’s the one with power in this situation. I mean, she’s a boss (duh), but Meghan Markle is just living her life, dating this royal dude and now stuck in the shit storm the British press tends to drum up. So way to have her back, Prince H. And everybody else, keep calm and sit the hell down.
