Prince Harry condemns press 'abuse' of girlfriend

Prince Harry has confirmed US actress Meghan Markle is his girlfriend, in a statement from Kensington Palace attacking the media for subjecting her to a "wave of abuse and harassment".

The statement said the couple were "a few months into a relationship" and it was "not right" that Ms Markle should be subjected to such treatment.

It said the prince rarely took formal action over "fictional stories", BBC reports.

"But the past week has seen a line crossed," it added.

In recent days a number of newspapers have carried front page stories about the 35-year-old actress, best known for playing Rachel Zane in the TV drama Suits.