--- description: rince Harry has issued an unprecedented public statement condemning the "wave of abuse" that his new girlfriend has been subject to title: Prince Harry Issues Statement About Girlfriend Meghan Markle image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9c93401bd5080d2/6988ad6c5f570f22cab2330f/gettyimages-618314436.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Prince Harry Says Girlfriend Meghan Markle Hit by 'Wave of Abuse and Harassment' by [Kate Samuelson](/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 8, 2016 11:02 AM CUT  Prince Harry listens to how the projects are progressing from volunteers and sponsors during his visit the Community Recording Studio at Russell Youth Centre on October 26, 2016 in Nottingham, United Kingdom. (Photo by Richard Stonehouse - WPA Pool/Getty Images) Prince Harry listens to how the projects are progressing from volunteers and sponsors during his visit the Community Recording Studio at Russell Youth Centre on October 26, 2016 in Nottingham, United Kingdom. (Photo by Richard Stonehouse - WPA Pool/Getty Images)Richard Stonehouse—Getty Images by [Kate Samuelson](/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 8, 2016 11:02 AM CUT Prince Harry has issued an unprecedented public statement condemning the “wave of abuse and harassment” that his new girlfriend, [Meghan Markle](http://time.com/4554775/prince-harry-meghan-markle-evidence/ "undefined"), has been subjected to. The 32-year-old Prince said he is worried about the 35-year-old [American _Suits_ actress’](http://time.com/4554569/meghan-markle-prince-harry/ "undefined") safety and “deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her”. The strongly-worded statement, issued on the Prince’s behalf by Kensington Palace, criticized the “outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments”. News of the rumored relationship emerged in the British press two weeks ago, and [_People_](http://people.com/royals/prince-harry-dating-meghan-markle-friend-confirms/ "undefined") reported the story on Nov. 1, pointing to the pair’s matching bracelets and shared love of animals, children and humanitarian work as evidence for their compatibility. According to the U.K.’s [_Daily Express_](http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/726701/prince-harry-meghan-markle-suits-actress-girlfriend-royal-family-relationship-secret-lover "undefined")newspaper, the pair are rumored to have met in May when Harry was promoting the Invictus Games in Toronto, where _Suits_ is filmed. The statement is the first official confirmation from the Palace that Prince Harry and Markle are indeed together. > [](https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/795931735443861504) Read the statement in full: --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4562242/prince-harry-meghan-markle-statement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4562242/prince-harry-meghan-markle-statement/"},"headline":"Prince Harry Says Girlfriend Meghan Markle Hit by 'Wave of Abuse and Harassment'","datePublished":"2016-11-08T11:02:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:38:28.466Z","description":"\"This is not a game - it is her life and his\"","url":"https://time.com/4562242/prince-harry-meghan-markle-statement/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Royal Family","United Kingdom"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9c93401bd5080d2/6988ad6c5f570f22cab2330f/gettyimages-618314436.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kate Samuelson","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9c93401bd5080d2/6988ad6c5f570f22cab2330f/gettyimages-618314436.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Prince Harry Visits Nottingham","caption":"Prince Harry Visits Nottingham","creditText":"Richard Stonehouse—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4562242/prince-harry-meghan-markle-statement/","name":"Prince Harry Says Girlfriend Meghan Markle Hit by 'Wave of Abuse and Harassment'"}}]}] ```