Prince Harry, Meghan Markle dating news: Prince Harry issues statement condemning harassment of girlfriend Meghan Markle

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Kensington Palace issued a rare and unusual statement in which Britain's Prince Harry exposed the media's harassment of his American girlfriend Meghan Markle and warned them against further abuse.

The statement confirmed the couple's relationship, putting an end to widespread media speculation over the last few weeks. The statement, which was issued by Prince Harry's communications secretary and posted on the Kensington Palace's official Twitter account, accused both the media and internet trolls of outright sexism and racism, and said that "the past week has seen a line crossed."

The nature of Prince Harry and Markle's relationship has been front-page news recently, with British media reporting heavily on the American actress' ethnicity. Markle's father is Caucasian and her mother is African-American.

"His girlfriend Meghan Markle has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment," the statement read. "Some of this has been very public — the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments," it continued.

As such, Prince Harry is reportedly worried about his girlfriend's safety and is "deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her."

According to the statement, there have been nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories about the couple out of the newspapers. Markle, who lives in Toronto, has reportedly had paparazzi attempting to break into her home. Her mother has been hounded by photographers and her ex-boyfriend has been offered bribes by various newspapers.

Kensington Palace rarely issues statements of this nature, but Prince Harry reportedly hoped that speaking up would enable the press to reflect on their actions before more damage is done.

The young prince's warning reminded Britons once again of the loss of Princess Diana, the royal's late mother, who was killed in a car crash during a paparazzi chase in 1997.

"This is very much part of William and Harry's life as it is," royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told CNN. "They remember vividly what happened to her, and that is what's behind the statement," he added.