This morning, Prince Harry issued a statement confirming that he is, in fact, dating Meghan Markle.
In the same statement, released by Kensington Palace, Harry addressed the "abuse and harassment" the "Suits" star has endured since their relationship was made public on Oct. 30.
The personal attacks on Markle - who was introduced to Harry through mutual friends back in May - have pushed Harry to make an unprecedented move by publicly acknowledging their relationship, and with good reason.
"This past week has seen a line crossed," the statement from the palace read.
"His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. 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."
"Some of it has been hidden from the public - the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her 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 the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life."
Markle's father is Caucasian and her mother is African-American. She grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in communications.
"I have come to embrace [it, and] to say who I am, to share where I'm from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman," Markle wrote of her heritage in an Aug. 2015 essay for Elle UK.