Prince Harry Speaks Out About His Fight to Protect Meghan Markle in New Interview
Prince Harry is determined to keep Meghan Markle safe — no matter what.
Speaking in the new documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, which debuted in the U.K. on Sunday, Harry revealed the full degree to which negative press attention has hurt him and his wife.
“It’s management. It’s constant management,” Harry told ITV’s Tom Bradby about his mental health during the special which gives a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of the royal couple’s recent tour of southern Africa. “I thought I was out of the woods and then suddenly it all came back and I suddenly realized, ‘Actually this is something that I have to manage.’ “
Towards the end of the royal tour, which saw the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit South Africa with 5-month-old son Archie (Harry also traveled solo to Angola, Botswana and Malawi), it was revealed that Meghan had launched legal action against the Mail on Sunday for publishing a private letter she sent to her father.
“Look, part of this job and part of any job, like everybody, means putting on a brave face and turning a cheek to a lot of the stuff. But again, for me and for my wife, of course, there’s a lot of stuff that hurts — especially when the majority of it is untrue,” Harry said of the media scrutiny as of late.
“But all we need to do is focus on being real, focus on being the people we are and standing up for what we believe in. I will not be bullied into carrying a game that killed my mum,” he added.
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Harry is also suing News UK (owner of The Sun newspaper) and MGN (former owner of The Mirror) over alleged illegal interception of voicemail messages.
In a rare statement, Harry criticized the British tabloid press for the “ruthless” treatment of Markle “over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son”.
The royal added that the couple has “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.”
In An African Journey — which airs in the U.S. on ABC on October 23 at 10:00 p.m. ET — Meghan also made reference to the toll that negative tabloid coverage has taken on her.
“Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging. And then when you have a newborn, you know. And especially as a woman, it’s a lot,” she said.
“So, you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed. It’s um…yeah. I guess, also thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I’m okay, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”
Bradby asked if it “would be fair” to say that she’s “not really okay, as in it’s really been a struggle?” to which Meghan responded, “Yes.”
It’s not just Meghan who has been affected by media attention, either. In a touchingly honest moment, Harry — who has lived with the British tabloids since birth — opened up about the pressures of his royal role and how the memory of his mother Princess Diana was at the forefront of his mind throughout the Africa tour.
“I think being part of this family — in this role, in this job — every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash, it takes me straight back,” said Harry, adding that it is a “wound that festers.”.
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Harry, continued, “In that respect, it’s the worst reminder of her life as oppose to the best.”
“Being here now 22 years later trying to finish what she started will be incredibly emotional. But everything that I do reminds me of her,” he continued. “But as I said — with the role, with the job and sort of the pressures that come with that — I get reminded of the bad stuff.”
