Current:Home > ScamsRoyal Family Quietly Removes Prince Harry’s 2016 Statement Confirming Meghan Markle Romance From Website -ProgressCapital
Royal Family Quietly Removes Prince Harry’s 2016 Statement Confirming Meghan Markle Romance From Website
View
Date:2025-04-13 01:35:53
The royal family is clearing out its archives.
As such, it appears Prince Harry's powerful 2016 statement that not only confirmed his romance with Meghan Markle, but also defended her from racist abuse, is no longer traceable on the royal family website.
While the November 8, 2016 statement can be found through the royal domain's search engine, the link to actually bring a user to the statement itself is broken, multiple outlets have reported. E! News has reached out to reps for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as well as the Palace for comment regarding the matter.
At the time, when rumblings of a romance between Harry and Meghan led to a wave of negative press against the Suits star, Kensington communications secretary Jason Knauf—who represented Harry as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton—shared a rare, impassioned statement in her defense.
"Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment," the message read, "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."
Of course, in the years since confirming the relationship, Harry and Meghan—who share kids Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 2—tied the knot and ultimately stepped back as senior members of the royal family.
But looking back on that moment, Harry has expressed how important it was for him to defend the woman he loved.
"We needed a statement out there—within a day we had a draft," he recalled in his 2023 memoir Spare. "Strong, precise, angry, honest."
And while the 39-year-old lamented that the statement did not stop the "onslaught" of harassment on Meghan, 42, it also had other repercussions. In fact, Harry claimed in his memoir that the bulletin made his brother William—who shares children George, 10, Charlotte, 9, and Archie, 6, with Kate—and his father King Charles III "furious."
"Because they'd never put out a statement for their girlfriends or wives," Harry detailed in the book. "When they were being harassed."
The alleged removal of Harry's 2016 statement is jarring for fans, but it is far from the most shattering royal news of 2024. Keep reading for all the updates.
Nearly two months after the Princess of Wales went public with her cancer diagnosis, a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said the royal has no immidiate plans to return to her public-facing duties.
"The princess is not expected to return to work," the rep said in a May 21 statement to BBC, "until it's cleared by her medical team."
On May 13, King Charles III bestowed the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to his oldest son, sparking controversy as many royal watchers believed the title would be more suited for Prince Harry, who trained and served in the military branch.
On April 26, nearly three months after sharing his cancer diagnosis, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles will return to public-facing duties.
The queen consort attended the Royal Maundy Service on March 28 in place of King Charles III, making her the first spouse of the Monarch to continue the ancient tradition.
In a March 22 video message, the Princess of Wales shared that she'd been diagnosed with cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January.
"It was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful," she said before noting that tests after the operation found cancer had been present. "My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment."
After photo agencies pulled the picture Kensington Palace shared of Kate since having her abdominal surgery on March 10, the Princess of Wales addressed claims the photo was doctored.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she tweeted on March 11. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."
Princess Diana's niece celebrated Mother's Day in the U.K. by sharing she and her husband Michael Lewis privately welcomed their first baby.
“It’s the joy of my life to be your mummy, little one. I love you unconditionally," she captioned her March 10 Instagram post. "Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate today."
After keeping up her full slate of engagements in the wake of her husband's cancer diagnosis, the palace cleared Camilla's schedule.
The Times pointed out March 2 that the 76-year-old didn't have any engagements on her calendar until March 11, when she'd be due at Westminster Abbey to observe Commonwealth Day.
The husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and ex-boyfriend of Pippa Middleton, was found dead Feb. 25. Days later, a coroner's inquest found that he died by suicide.
While King Charles III was in the hospital for his benign prostate enlargement procedure, the royal family member was diagnosed with cancer.
"His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties," Buckingham Palace said Feb. 5. "Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible."
The Duchess of York's rep said in a statement on Jan. 21 that Sarah was recently diagnosed with malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Several months prior, she underwent a single mastectomy to treat breast cancer.
On Jan. 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made history as she officially abdicated the throne, handing the crown over to her son, now known as King Frederik the 10th.
Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that Kate Middleton underwent planned abdominal surgery and was set to remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days.
"Based on the current medical advice," the Palace said, "she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."
Amid Kate's recovery, Prince William postponed a number of engagements as he supported his family, including the couple's three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Shortly after Kate's hospitalization was made public, Buckingham Palace shared that Charles "has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate."
"His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure," the statement added. "The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation."
Princess Claire and Prince Felix of Luxembourg welcomed son Balthazar Felix Karl on Jan. 7, the first royal baby of the New Year!
We value your thoughts! Click here to share your feedback and help us improve!veryGood! (98244)
Related
- Giants, Lions fined $200K for fights in training camp joint practices
- Man charged with terroristic threats after saying he would ‘shoot up’ a synagogue
- Education Pioneer Wealth Society: Your Partner in Wealth Growth
- How voting before Election Day became so widespread and so political
- Michigan lawmaker who was arrested in June loses reelection bid in Republican primary
- October Prime Day 2024: Fetch the 29 Best Pet Deals & Score Huge Savings on Furbo, Purina, Bissell & More
- Don’t count on a recount to change the winner in close elections this fall. They rarely do
- Derek Carr injury: How long will Saints quarterback be out after oblique injury?
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- If the polls just closed, how can AP already declare a winner?
Ranking
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Love Is Blind's Leo and Brittany Reveal Reason They Called Off Engagement
- Election conspiracy theories fueled a push to hand-count votes, but doing so is risky and slow
- Dyson Airwrap vs. Revlon One-Step Volumizer vs. Shark FlexStyle: Which Prime Day Deal Is Worth It?
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Man arrested in Michigan and charged with slaying of former Clemson receiver in North Carolina
- CBS News says Trump campaign had ‘shifting explanations’ for why he snubbed ’60 Minutes’
- Georgia State Election Board and Atlanta’s Fulton County spar over election monitor plan
Recommendation
Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
Florida has nearly all ballots counted on Election Day, while California can take weeks. This is why
When do new episodes of 'Outer Banks' come out? Season 4 release date, cast, where to watch
Tampa mayor’s warning to residents who don’t evacuate for Milton: 'You are going to die'
Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
Meryl Streep, Melissa McCarthy shock 'Only Murders' co-stars, ditch stunt doubles for brawl
Will the polls be right in 2024? What polling on the presidential race can and can’t tell you
Man charged with terroristic threats after saying he would ‘shoot up’ a synagogue