Royal commentator Angela Levin revealed that during the early stages of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship, the Duke of Sussex was "terrified" that the Duchess would leave him due to the racist headlines and public scrutiny she faced, according to GB News. Levin's comments come after the royal website removed Harry's 2016 statement defending Meghan, four years after the couple relocated to California.
"It was interesting in 2016, I went to see him and I was told by one of his aides, 'Be very, very careful because he's just written a letter and he's terrified that Meghan's going to leave him,'" Levin told GB News. "It's quite an odd way of thinking. You're going to interview the Prince and then you're going to have to be really careful. But I managed to write."
The statement, which was live on the royal website for seven years, condemned the bigoted commentary about Meghan and expressed Harry's concern for her safety. "Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle's safety. And is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her," the statement read. "It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that, Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm."
Levin believes that the removal of the statement indicates the Royal Family's attempt to distance themselves from Harry and Meghan. "Now that the letter is gone he's very cross because he felt it should be against the press," she said. "However it doesn't work like that because they've moved forward and they don't want to have this distancing themselves from Harry and Meghan."
In his memoir, "Spare," Harry wrote about his decision to release the statement, stating that he showed it to Jason Knauf, the former Kensington Palace Communications Secretary, and demanded an immediate course correction. "No more debate, no more discussion. Within a day, we had a draft. Strong, precise, angry, honest. I didn't think it would be the end, but maybe the beginning of the end," he penned.
The Duke of Sussex also revealed that his statement angered his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William. "My statement generated a whole new onslaught from my family. Pa and Willy (King Charles and Prince William) were furious. They gave me an earful. My statement made them look bad, they both said," Harry wrote in his book.
The royal brothers questioned why Harry would release such a statement, as they had never done the same for their girlfriends or wives when they were being harassed. "Why in hell? Because they'd never put out a statement for their girlfriends, or wives when they were being harassed," Harry added.
Levin's revelations shed light on the emotional toll that the public scrutiny and racism directed towards Meghan had on Prince Harry during the early stages of their relationship. "That's what the issue was, he was terrified that Meghan was going to leave him. It was love at first sight from his point of view," she said.