Kate Green/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images(LONDON) — Prince Harry stepped out for a public event for the first time Thursday since confirming he is dating American actress Meghan Markle.
Harry, 32, attended a Remembrance Ceremony with Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey. Philip, who served in the Royal Navy, and Harry, who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, met and honored veterans for their service.
The public event comes days after Kensington Palace issued a statement both acknowledging Harry’s relationship with Markle, 35, and putting the press on notice that he won’t tolerate “harassment and abuse” of Markle.
Of the coverage of Markle, Kensington Palace wrote, “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.”
The statement came after several newspapers, websites and news organizations worldwide chimed in on the suitability of Markle, a star of the legal drama Suits, as a bride for Harry, the fifth-in-line to the British throne.
One British outlet penned a piece with the headline “Straight Outta Compton,” referencing Markle’s humble background and biracial upbringing. Another article, since deleted, referred to a porn website where racy scenes from Markle’s TV show could apparently be seen.
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