Police said there was nothing they could do because of 'who you're dating,' Markle says, as more details emerge from the series about her and Prince Harry
New details are coming out of the “Harry & Meghan” docuseries — including Meghan Markle saying that Toronto police ignored her request for protection — as the first three episodes were released on Netflix Thursday.
The series follows the couple’s lives, from their childhoods to the start of their relationship to their decision to step down as royals.
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Meanwhile, the royal family has not commented on the show, with sources saying they are more “weary” than worried about the media circus surrounding its release, the Telegraph reported.
Harry & Meghan: Concerns about ‘stalking’ and safety in Toronto
Before they began dating — they met over Instagram the documentary reveals — Markle was living in Toronto’s Seaton Village neighbourhood and was an actress in the television series Suits. After it was revealed she was dating Prince Harry in 2016, media flooded the area and took photographs of her at her home.
Toronto police officers did end up going to see her “over concerns that her suddenly sky-high public profile could be a security threat,” ET Canada reported in November of that year. But according to Markle, they didn’t do much.
In the second episode of the Netflix series, Markle described her plea to Toronto police for help. She told them she was being followed by paparazzi.
“I would say to the police: If any other woman in Toronto said to you, ‘I have six grown men who are sleeping in their cars around my house and following me everywhere that I go, and I feel scared,’ wouldn’t you say that was stalking?”
However, she said the police told her there was nothing they could do because of “who you’re dating.”
Police did confirm they were called to Markle’s home “for the actions of some media,” Const. Victor Kwong told the Toronto Sun.
He did not comment any further.
Kensington Palace even released a statement on Nov. 8, 2016, around the time paparazzi were camped outside her Toronto home, saying “the past week has seen a line crossed” and that Markle “has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment.”
“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,” it said. “He has asked for this statement to be issued in the hopes that those in the press who have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done.”
Harry & Meghan: More on why Harry wanted to leave royal life
Prince Harry stepped down as a senior member of the royal family to ensure his wife didn’t suffer the same fate as Princess Diana. The 38-year-old royal had seen some of his previous relationships fall apart due to the intense scrutiny that surrounded him.
Harry admitted to having some fears about pursuing a romance with Markle — but he was still determined to give it a go. Harry also admitted that he can see strong similarities between Markle, 41, and his late mother, who died in a car crash in August 1997, aged 36.
“She has this same passion, she has this same empathy, she has this same confidence … she has this warmth about her,” he said about Markle.
Harry ultimately decided to relocate to the U.S. with Markle in an effort to keep his family safe.
“Especially after what happened to my mum. You know, I didn’t want history to repeat itself,” he said.
Harry & Meghan: Meghan’s mom speaks out
Markle’s mother Doria Ragland says the last five years since she met and married Prince Harry have been amongst the most “challenging” of her life.
In the series, she recalled the moment her daughter told her she was first dating the prince, and admitted she was stunned by the news.
“I do (remember), when she told me we were on the phone and she said, ‘Mummy I’m going out with Prince Harry’ and I started whispering, ‘oh my god.'”
Ragland reflected on the first time she met Harry, gushing over his looks and pointing out how “happy” they looked as a couple.
“And I remember when I first met him too, he was a six-one handsome man with really great manners. He was just really nice and they looked really happy together, like he was the one,” she said.
Harry & Meghan: ‘Formality on the outside carried through on the inside’
Markle commented on the differences when it came to meeting brother-in-law Prince William and his wife Duchess Catherine for the first time.
“They came over for dinner, I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger. I’ve always been a hugger, I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits,” she said. “I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside.”
Markle was shocked that it even continued behind closed doors.
“There is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and go ‘You can relax now,’ but that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me.”
With additional reporting by Bang Showbiz
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