- Prince Harry was shocked by the media’s reaction to his romance.
- Headlines such as “Harry’s girl is (almost) straight outta Compton” were common.
- Prince Harry was angry and ashamed.
Prince Harry acknowledges that he was caught off guard by the media’s reaction to his romance with Meghan Markle.
Besides from smothering the Duchess of Sussex with cameras, the British press focused on her race.
In his memoir ‘Spare,’ he writes: “I was shocked, and scolded myself for being shocked. And for being unprepared. I’d been braced for the usual madness, the standard libels, but I hadn’t anticipated this level of unrestrained lying. Above all, I hadn’t been ready for the racism. Both the dog-whistle racism and the glaring, vulgar, in-your-face racism.”
Harry then discusses some of the headlines that have stuck with him throughout the years.
“The Daily Mail took the lead. Its headline: Harry’s girl is (almost) straight outta Compton. Subhead: Gang-scarred home of her mother revealed—so will he be dropping in for tea? Another tabloid jumped into the fray with this jaw-dropper: Harry to marry into gangster royalty? My face froze. My blood stopped. I was angry, but more: ashamed. My Mother Country? Doing this? To her? To us? Really?” admits the Duke.
