Harry and Meghan’s final day of Africa tour overshadowed by attack on tabloids
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were all smiles as they began the final day of their Africa tour, which has been overshadowed by Harry’s scathing attack on the British tabloid press.
The couple looked relaxed when they arrived in a Johannesburg township to learn about an ambitious project, launched last year by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, which aims to tackle the critical issue of youth unemployment by creating one million new work opportunities in the next three years.
Meghan and Harry travelled to Tembisa township a day after the duke released an unprecedented statement heavily criticising certain sections of the press for conducting what he called a “ruthless campaign” against his wife.
The duchess smiled broadly when she was greeted by Melony Campbell, from the British High Commission, who introduced the couple to Tashmia Ismail-Saville, chief executive officer of the Youth Employment Service (YES).
The couple were then ushered inside the YES hub, a collection of shipping containers and buildings, where they were given a briefing about the initiative.
Harry’s strongly worded comments came with an announcement the duchess has launched legal action against the Mail on Sunday newspaper over an allegation it unlawfully published a letter to her father.
In the statement published on the duke and duchess’s official website, Harry said he and Meghan believed in “media freedom and objective, truthful reporting” as a “cornerstone of democracy”.
Addressing readers, he added: “Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences – a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son.”
The duke and duchess’s tour of Africa has received widespread and favourable coverage but Harry said these positive publications expose the “double standards of this specific press pack”.
