Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are done with keeping calm and carrying on, and instead have spent the past few months doing something that makes most Brits feel very uncomfortable: opening up about their feelings.
First came a powerful statement detailing the private war against the press they’ve been waging, and the announcement that they’d be taking legal action. Then came the emotional ITV documentary which gave the public an insight into how the pair have been coping as a newly married couple. In case you didn’t watch it, the answer is not well at all.
In response, a group of female MPs from across party lines have written a letter showing solidarity with Meghan Markle.
‘As women MPs of all political persuasions, we wanted to express our solidarity with you in taking a stand against the often distasteful and misleading nature of the stories printed in a number of our national newspapers concerning you, your character and your family’ the letter signed by MPs including Jess Phillips and Holly Lynch.
‘On occasions, stories and headlines have represented an invasion of your privacy and have sought to cast aspersions about your character, without any good reason as far as we can see.
‘Even more concerning still, we are calling out what can only be described as outdated, colonial undertones to some of these stories. As women Members of Parliament from all backgrounds, we stand with you in saying it cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.’
So far, so supportive, but I can’t help but think this letter would have been so much more powerful had it swapped out ‘colonial undertones’ for ‘racist abuse.’
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say the undertones of many of the articles written about Meghan are tinged with racial prejudice. Prince Harry himself called out the racist coverage Meghan Markle was already facing back in 2016 when confirming her as his girlfriend for the first time. The statement made his view quite clear;
'His girlfriend Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment... 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.
If our own MPs can’t boldly call out racism in the press, then what hope do we have of the situation changing?
‘The creative ways this country finds to avoid calling something racist, are actually hilarious’ tweeted actress, fitness expert and podcaster Kelechi Okafor, who also pointed out the other issue with the use of the word colonial; that the royal family is the head of the Commonwealth – a group of 53 countries which are nearly all former members of the British Empire.
While it's great to see MPs take a stand, a little bit more care over the language used in the letter might have made it more of a powerful statement. Even so, I'm hopeful that we can continue this conversation about how to further support women of colour in the spotlight.
READ MORE: Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Relationship Timeline
Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Relationship Timeline
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met in London in July 2016.
2 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
They were introduced by mutual friend Markus Anderson, who is the director of Soho House.
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In October 2016, the Express became the first newspaper to publish news that Prince Harry had a new girlfriend.
4 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
On November 8th 2016, Kensington Palace released an unprecedented statement which referring to Markle as Harry's girlfriend for the first time.
5 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
In the statement, Prince Harry condemned the 'wave of abuse and harrassment' faced by Markle, saying that he was 'worried about Ms. Markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her.'
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'It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,' the statement continued.
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The couple were papped together for the first time in December 2016, shopping for a Christmas tree in London at the Pines and Needles store.
8 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Later that week, they were seen on London's West End, catching a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
9 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
In February, Prince Harry wore a his 'n' hers bracelet on the cover of Town & Country magazine, just weeks after Markle was pictured wearing the same one on Instagram.
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In March 2017, Meghan joined Prince Harry in the Caribbean for the wedding of his friend's Tom 'Skippy' Inskip and Lara Hughes-Young.
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It was the first time that Markle accompanied Harry to a wedding, marking another milestone occasion for the couple.
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The first public event attended by the couple was the polo at Coworth Park in May 2017.
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Later in May, Markle attended the party portion of Pippa Middleton's wedding to James Middelton.
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Prince Harry was seen driving her to the event after the church ceremony.
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The couple were photographed together the following day at the wheelchair tennis.
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The couple 'broke with royal protocol' by holding hands and appearing affectionate while at the Invictus Games.
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In an interview with Vanity Fair, Meghan referred to Harry as her boyfriend numerous times, saying: 'We're a couple. We're in love. I'm sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people understand is that this is our time.'
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In early November 2017, it was reported that Meghan Markle was leaving Suits after seven series.
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Much was made of Markle's choice of outfit: ripped jeans and a white blouse called 'The Husband'.
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Although Prince Harry was sat next to First Lady Melania Trump at the event, rather than his girlfriend, she was only seated a few rows behind him.
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The couple made their first official public appearance in September, when Markle attended the opening of Prince Harry's Invictus Games.
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In mid-November 2017, bookies suspending betting on an impending royal engagement, as speculation grew that an announcement was about to be made.
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On November 27th 2017, Prince Charles announced the engagement of his younger son Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after 15 months of dating.
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The couple later appeared at a photocall, with Markle wearing a white dress coat by Canadian brand Line The Label. The website has subsequently crashed.
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The engagement ring, by Cleave and Company, was reportedly designed by Prince Harry himself, using two stones that belonged to Princess Diana.
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When asked by waiting photographers if the proposal was romantic, Harry joked 'of course!'
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The couple indulged in some PDA at the closing ceremony.
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Meghan wore a maroon midi dress with a pleated chiffon skirt by one of her favourite Canadian brands Aritzia.
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She teamed it with a matching burgundy biker jacket by Mackage.
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Prince Harry reportedly spent time with Meghan's mother Doria while at the Games too.
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Prince Harry was photographed kissing Meghan.
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In late September 2017, it was reported that Meghan had met the Queen, prompting speculation that the relationship was getting serious.