Here's Why Prince Harry Says Meghan Markle's Tabloid Lawsuit Is So Important

The tabloids have been slamming Meghan Markle pretty much since her relationship with Prince Harry became public. Even though the pair are clearly in love and now have a beautiful son together, the press has remained critical of her, criticizing everything from her relationship with her family to her flying in a private plane.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have finally had enough. The couple is suing the Mail on Sunday for publishing a handwritten letter that Markle sent to her estranged father. Prince Harry issued a public statement on October 1 defending his wife.

"As a couple, we believe in media freedom and objective, truthful reporting," said Prince Harry (via The Guardian). "We regard it as a cornerstone of democracy and in the current state of the world — on every level — we have never needed responsible media more. Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences — a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son."

Prince Harry called the campaign "false and malicious," and said that, while he and Markle have been showing "a brave face," they are no longer remaining silent. 

According to Prince Harry, the letter Markle penned to her father was deliberately edited by the Mail on Sunday to show her in a bad light. "The contents of a private letter were published unlawfully in an intentionally destructive manner to manipulate you, the reader, and further the divisive agenda of the media group in question," he wrote. "In addition to their unlawful publication of this private document, they purposely misled you by strategically omitting select paragraphs, specific sentences, and even singular words to mask the lies they had perpetuated for over a year."

Prince Harry acknowledged that, while legal action may not be the safest decision, he believes it is the right one. The royal accused the tabloid of "bullying" Markle and compared the campaign against her to the treatment his mother, Princess Diana, received from similar outlets before being pursued by the paparazzi which ultimately resulted in her death.

"My deepest fear is history repeating itself," said Prince Harry. "I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized 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."