Why Prince Harry Broke Royal Protocol For Meghan Markle Early In Their Relationship

In her new book, Harry: Life, Loss and Love, author Kate Nicholl details some of the early days of Prince Harry’s romance with Meghan Markle, including the pivotal time when their relationship first went public.

With the couple’s wedding only a few months away, Nicholl revealed the real reason why Harry broke royal protocol and told the media to back off when the world first learned about their romance.

Vanity Fair released an excerpt from Nicholl’s book that addresses Harry’s decision to publicly support Markle early in their romance. Nicholl says that Harry was disappointed when his romance with Markle went public, though he enjoyed the two or three months of private time they had together.

The news broke while Harry was spending time with Markle in Toronto, and the two rushed to a friend’s home for privacy. Away from the prying eyes of the media, Markle and Harry watched the news unfold.

A few months later, Markle requested time off from Suits and traveled to London to spend time with Harry. The short vacation was supposed to be romantic, but the mood quickly changed once Harry caught wind of the tabloid headlines.

As Markle’s plane landed in London, the Sun newspaper published a story about how several sex scenes from Suits were being featured on adult websites. One of the racier clips featured Markle’s character, Rachel Zane, hooking up in an office. Markle couldn’t believe the story made the front page, and Harry reportedly flipped when he found out.

In response to the story, Harry wrote a statement to the media asking everyone to back off and respect Markle’s privacy. Kensington Palace officially released the statement, which was meant to target both mainstream tabloids and social media trolls. Markle supported Harry’s decision, but the actress was a little worried about how some people might react to the strong statement.

“They were Harry’s words and sentiments, but Meghan was worried about her safety and particularly upset and distressed that her mother was being hounded for comment, and Harry made sure that particular issue was addressed,” an insider revealed.

Harry’s heated words were posted on Twitter on November 8. While the move was meant to give Markle a measure of privacy moving forward, it was also a first in royal history and was official confirmation that Harry’s romance with Markle was serious.

In fact, Harry’s statement was one of the most explosive defenses of privacy issued from a member of the royal family in recent memory. While some people on social media supported Harry’s strongly worded comments, some media outlets bashed him for being too “hot-headed.”

Fortunately, Meghan Markle and Harry were able to weather the storm and are set to tie the knot on May 19. The two will exchange vows inside St. George’s Chapel, which is located on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Prince Harry has not issued any more statements to the media regarding privacy.