Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have stepped out in South Africa in their first appearance since Prince Harry published an unprecedented statement lashing the tabloid press.
The couple visited local youth in a township near Johannesburg on the final day of their royal tour. Later on Wednesday they will meet Graca Machel, the widow of the late former President, Nelson Mandela.
It’s the first appearance for the couple since Prince Harry posted an extraordinary statement on their official website, announcing they would take legal action against Britain’s Mail on Sunday over publishing a letter Meghan wrote to her father, Thomas Markle.
MORE: Harry steps into dangerous new territory
In a statement that came directly from Prince Harry, the young father slammed the “ruthless campaign” from the British tabloids, saying his deepest fear was “history repeating itself” in reference to the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.
It came just days after the Duke of Sussex followed in his mother’s footsteps by walking the streets of Angola and visited a minefield in a continuation of her work to achieve a global ban on landmines.
On Wednesday, Prince Harry spoke about his love for Africa, the place he came to get away from Britain after his mother died in 1997.
“Ever since I came to this country as a young boy trying to cope with something I could never possibly describe, Africa has held me in an embrace I will never forget,” he said.
The strength of Prince Harry’s emotion in the letter published on Tuesday have taken royal watchers by surprise, particularly as it came at the end of a highly successful South Africa tour.
Prince Charles biographer Penny Junor said it was “way beyond anything I have ever seen issued by a member of the royal family.”
Majesty editor Ingrid Seward told The Times “I don’t think the Queen would have necessarily known about this and this throws a vast cloud over a very successful tour....Harry should be aiming his anger at the abusive internet trolls, not the royal press.”
In the letter, Prince Harry slammed the “human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face – as so many of you can relate to – I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been.
“The positive coverage of the past week from these same publications exposes the double standards of this specific press pack that has vilified her almost daily for the past nine months; they have been able to create lie after lie at her expense simply because she has not been visible while on maternity leave. She is the same woman she was a year ago on our wedding day, just as she is the same woman you’ve seen on this Africa tour.”
“Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one. Because my deepest fear is history repeating itself. I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces,” he said.
The Mail on Sunday said it would defend the case “vigorously”.
“We categorically deny that the duchess’s letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning,” as spokesman said.
The couple will return to London later on Wednesday.
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