Meghan Markle's "Topless Photos" Are Not Really Her

Suits actress victim of fake scandal

By Francesca Bacardi Dec 20, 2016 7:44 PMTags

Meghan Markle almost found herself at the center of a royal scandal, but it turns out none of the uproar was valid.

A website published photos of what was said to be a topless Markle on vacation in Greece with then-husband Trevor Engelson. But E! News confirms that the photos are not of the Suits actress. The fake leak comes more than a month after Markle's boyfriend, Prince Harry, released a statement via the palace defending his American girlfriend's privacy and safety.

"Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her," the palace said. "It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm."

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"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," the palace continued. "This is not a game—it is her life and his."

The prince "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," the palace explained. "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."

Markle has not commented on anything regarding her royal relationship. The couple has been dating only a few months, but that hasn't stopped them from getting hot and heavy quickly. "Meghan and Harry are getting serious," an insider told E! News, adding, "Harry really wants a family like his brother William has."

Markle and Harry squeezed in some time together before Christmas. Markle traveled to London to see Harry but left before the holidays came about. If Harry wants her to start sticking around for holidays, he'll have to propose.

"Traditionally, only if you're married would you go to Sandringham," a source told us of the family estate in Norfolk where the family has a formal lunch and listens to Queen Elizabeth II's annual speech. But Prince William and Kate Middleton decided to alternate between Sandringham and the Middleton household so that Kate's parents could see their grandchildren.