Prince Harry's controversial statement disappears from royal website amid growing tensions

Prince Harry's 2016 statement confirming his relationship with Meghan Markle is no longer accessible on the British royal family's website.

In November 2016, Prince Harry's communications secretary issued a rare statement condemning the "wave of abuse and harassment" directed at Markle after their relationship became public. This statement had been available on the royal family's official website for years, but the link is now inactive.

Newsweek reports that the internet archive site Wayback Machine could access the link on December 3, 2023, but not on December 10, indicating its removal during that period.

Prince Harry's spokesperson said in part of the statement, "His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. 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. 

“Some of it has been hidden from the public — the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life.

“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her," he continued. "It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that 'this is all part of the game.' He strongly disagrees. This is not a game — it is her life and his."

In his memoir, ‘Spare,’ the Duke of Sussex recalled being advised that "silence is the best option" in response to the media frenzy surrounding his new relationship with ‘Suits’ actress Meghan Markle. Despite this, he pushed for a "course correction immediately."

"We needed a statement out there," he wrote. "Within a day we had a draft. Strong, precise, angry, honest."

Prince Harry observed that although the statement was "everywhere," it did not change anything as "the onslaught continued." He added that his father, now King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, were "furious" about the statement.

"Because they'd never put out a statement for their girlfriends or wives when they were being harassed," he explained.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married in May 2018 but stepped back from their roles as working royals in 2020 and relocated to California.

Since then, Prince Harry's statement is not the only change on royal.uk. 

In March, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s bios were merged into a joint profile. 

The top of the page states, "As announced in January 2020, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have stepped back as working members of The Royal Family."

The profile page also links to their new website, sussex.com, and includes links to the announcements about their stepping back, including Queen Elizabeth's 2020 statement after the Sandringham Summit.