Prince Harry Defends Wife Meghan Markle, Invokes Mother's Death as He Slams Tabloid Press

Prince Harry posted a furious statement on his website Tuesday.

Prince Harry is waging war against the tabloid press, coming to the defense of his wife.

In a furious statement, posted on the Duke of Sussex's official website, Harry writes of a "ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son."

"... Though we have continued to put on a brave face ... I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been," he continues.

In the statement, Harry announces that he and Meghan Markle have filed a lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday and its parent company, Associated Newspapers, over one incident in particular: "the publication of a private letter written by the Duchess of Sussex."

It's believed to be a handwritten letter from Meghan to her estranged father, Thomas Markle. 

"Your actions have broken my heart into a million pieces," it reads.

"Please stop lying, please stop creating so much pain," the letter goes on to say.

A spokesperson for Mail on Sunday said in a statement to Inside Edition, "The Mail on Sunday stands by the story it published and will be defending the case vigorously. Specifically, we categorically deny that the Duchess' letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning."

Harry continues in hisstatement, "They purposefully misled you by strategically omitting select paragraphs, specific sentences, and even singular words to mask the lies they had perpetuated for over a year." 

Harry even invokes the death of his mother, the late Princess Diana, in the scathing letter.

"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," Harry writes. 

A windswept Meghan arrived Tuesday morning for an appearance at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa

Harry says the positive coverage of his family in Africa "exposes the double standards of this specific press pack that has vilified [Meghan] almost daily ... 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." 

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