Prince Harry, Meghan Markle release statement after alarming update

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a bold statement about a big company after it made a major change in its policies amid the catastrophe engulfing Southern California.

The Office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex issued a scathing message after a new development was made last on one of the biggest social media platforms.

Harry and Meghan urged that regardless of what views one holds, the new changes implemented by Meta should “concern us all”.

“We are particularly alarmed by plans to abandon commitments to diversity and equity, coupled with internal policy changes that undermine protections for marginalised communities,” the couple said in their lengthy message.

“These decisions echo what experts, whistleblowers, and families have raised in hearings on online harm, especially regarding children’s safety: platform design, dictated by internal policies, directly determines our online experience.”

The statement comes amid Meta’s new policy of removing its fact-checking programme, and moving to an X-style “Community Notes” system for clarifying claims made by users on its apps, such as Facebook and Instagram.

“As they announce these changes undoubtedly responding to political winds, they once again abandon public safety in favour of profit, chaos, and control. The company’s decision to rollback protections is so far away from its stated values and commitments to its users—including the parents and families calling for change around the globe—that it’s now deeply deceptive.”

The Sussexes criticised that the company “has shown their words and commitments have very little meaning or integrity.”

They added that this move will allow “more abuse” and noted that “normalising hate speech serves to silence speech and expression, not foster it.”

The message also came as Southern California, just 90 miles from the Sussexes' Montecito mansion, is left devastated by raging wildfires. The pair had stepped out on Friday to help with relief work and had also made a notable monetary donation for the victims.