Once again, the British press have treated the royal family unfairly in their reporting. It appears that the media has not learned a thing from the death of Princess Diana as she was pursued by the paparazzi years ago. This time, they once again appear to be going too far.
Meghan Markle, former American actress, turned royal when she tied the knot over a year ago to Prince Harry, the second son of the late Princess Diana. Now the two share the title Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Markle just recently gave birth to their son, Archie, and has been scrutinized by the British press ever since her arrival in England.
The Duchess of Sussex sued the Associated Press on Sept. 29. The legal process against them has been apparently “many months in the making,” claiming the British tabloid had “unlawfully” published a private letter. Some specific claims regarding the contents of the letter Markle sent to her estranged father, which were “published unlawfully in an intentionally destructive manner,” the Duke of Sussex wrote in a statement backing his wife.
In a documentary by ITV News, a British television network, journalist Tom Bradby followed and interviewed the couple behind the scenes on their 10-day royal tour of southern Africa, which took place this month. The film turned into a candid insight into the struggles of royal life. Towards the end of the tour, Prince Harry announced his suing of two British tabloid newspapers, the Daily Mirror and The Sun, accusing them of hacking his phone and stealing voice messages. The claims against them were filed in the High Court of Justice on Harry’s behalf and involve “illegal interception of voicemail messages.”
The royal family has a troubled past with the press, and Prince Harry and Markle’s lawsuit is the latest in a string of prominent clashes. On the penultimate day of the trip, Harry said, “There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behavior, because it destroys people and destroys lives,” The Duke continued, referencing how he’d seen his mother, Princess Diana, and his wife “falling victim to the same powerful forces” of the press.
Markle shared that she hopes people will one day come to understand and focus on the love she and her husband share for one another. “I would hope that people, the world, will get to the point where they just see us as a couple who’s in love, because I don’t wake up every day and identify as being anything other than who I’ve always been,” she told Bradby.
Kudos to Prince Harry for standing up for his family in a way that somebody should have stood up for his mother all those years ago.
