Wow

Meghan Markle Staying With Prince Harry at Kensington Palace

The prince’s new love has been spotted shopping in London—and slipping into the side gate of Harry’s London home. The message is that this is serious.

On Thursday we reported that Prince Harry’s new girlfriend Meghan Markle, 35, had taken the week off work.

Today the reason for that decision has emerged—she is staying with Prince Harry at Kensington Palace.

Photographs of Markle shopping at Whole Foods and making her way in through the KP side gate were published in the Daily Mail this morning.

It is a clear declaration that the relationship is serious. Markle openly shopping on Kensington High Street is proof the couple is moving to the next level, having gone public this week.

Reports are also emerging that Harry’s public letter appealing for the media and public to back off on criticising Markle came after a freelance photographer attempted to break into her garden.

Prince Harry, 32, issued an unprecedented public statement accusing both mainstream and social-media trolls of racist abuse in coverage of his relationship with his new American girlfriend, who has one white parent and one black parent.

Kensington Palace declined to tell The Daily Beast exactly which stories they were referring to, but a Daily Mail story headlined “Harry’s Girl Is (Almost) Straight Outta Compton” is in the frame.

“It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,” the letter said.

Kensington Palace listed a string of complaints in the letter, citing “nightly legal battles” to keep defamatory stories out of papers; Markle’s mother “having to struggle past photographers” in order to get to her front door; the attempts of “reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home”; and “substantial bribes” being offered by papers to Markle’s ex-boyfriend along with the “bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life” as papers seek information on her.

Harry bemoaned in his letter his inability to protect his new girlfriend—moving her into the palace is certainly one way of doing that.

As a guest at a royal residence, she would automatically benefit from existing police protection of the property.

Despite his special guest, Harry was working today, leading veterans commemorations for Armistice Day in London.

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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