Prince Harry had to prove his loyalty to Meghan Markle from the moment they went public with their relationship.
Royal superfans may remember back in 2016 when the Duke of Sussex issued a furious statement condemning the “wave of abuse and harassment” his girlfriend at the time was experiencing after they revealed their romance. Well, it turns out the prince had an ulterior motive for the publication — he was already trying to save his relationship!
According to a new source who spoke to The Times on Saturday, Harry urged his office to release a statement about the media’s racist coverage of The Suits alum because he feared she would break up with him otherwise!
Related: Meghan Markle’s Estranged Father ‘Happy’ To Testify Against Her In Defamation Trial
At the time, the 37-year-old released a statement written by communications secretary Jason Knauf which called out “the racial undertones of comment pieces” and “the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.” Behind the scenes, however, the Archewell founder was reportedly “freaking out” that Meghan would dump him! An insider told The Times:
“It did feel like that if the palace was not able to stand up and support his girlfriend, against some of that disgusting coverage … then who in their right mind would ever consider entering into a relationship [with him] in the future?”
A solid point. Though, as we know now, his family has never been that supportive…
The source added:
“He was very exercised about some of that coverage. He definitely felt that if nothing was done to support [her], then she would be [like], ‘I’m not sure this is what I signed up for.’”
A second confidant backed up these claims, noting:
“He was freaking out, saying, ‘she’s going to dump me.’”
But don’t believe what you read just yet. A spokesperson for the couple denied the claims, so, while we’re sure the coverage was frustrating, it may not have been such a deal-breaker in Meghan’s eyes. Surely she was smart enough to know that dating a prince would come with some issues in the spotlight!
Speaking of the spotlight, the couple could be stepping out for a star-studded evening this weekend. According to reports, the husband and wife have been asked to present the Best Picture award at the Oscars on Sunday night, but they haven’t said yes just yet.
Related: Queen Elizabeth Was Secretly Devastated By Her Children’s Divorces
A source told Us Weekly that the activists could use the screen time as a chance to speak on political matters of the heart, suggesting:
“Obviously they’d be a huge coup this year, and could use their appearance to make an impassioned speech of their choosing, most likely Ukraine.”
The source seems doubtful that Harry will actually attend since it would send a strange message to the public, noting:
“It’s still up in the air, but in all likelihood — especially in the wake of recent publicity — Harry won’t attend. It would be seen as a final kick in the teeth for the royal family if he did — he’s too nervous to fly to London without police protection, but happy to stand up in front of a huge live audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Not great optics.”
Eh. It might seem a little strange, but entering a room full of actors (likely without his young children) is a lot different than braving an entire country without security to protect your family. It seems plausible that they could still attend, but we’ll have to wait and see!
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Are you surprised Harry was so afraid Meghan might dump him?
[Image via BBC News/YouTube]
The post Prince Harry Was Convinced Meghan Markle 'Was Going To Dump' Him If He Didn't Stand Up To Media: SOURCE appeared first on Perez Hilton.