Prince Harry has attacked the racial undertones of press coverage of his girlfriend Meghan Markle in an extraordinary statement in which he warns that he fears for her safety.

The prince said a line has been crossed in reporting of his relationship with the mixed race 35-year-old American actor who lives in Toronto.

Some of this has been very public, his spokesman said in a statement. 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.

The statement confirms for the first time that the pair are in a relationship but launches a powerful and unprecedented attack at the media by the prince.

Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her, it said.

It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm.

He knows commentators will say this is the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game. He strongly disagrees.

This is not a game – it is her life and his. 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.

He knows that it is unusual to issue a statement like this, but hopes that fair-minded people will understand why he has felt it necessary to speak publicly.