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Prince Harry and Prince William just shot down rumors about 'bullying' Meghan Markle

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At times, media coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship has been unfair, mean, and even downright racist. The couple has hinted that inflammatory media coverage is part of the reason why they're stepping down as senior royals. But just because they're removing themselves from the family doesn't mean the pounding in the press is going away anytime soon. Prince Harry just called out the Times of London for publishing a "potentially harmful" story about "Megxit." This is why we can't have nice things.

The Times of London reported that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle felt pushed out of the family by an unfriendly and unwelcoming Prince William and Duchess Kate. The report insinuated that Prince William had a "bullying attitude," pitting the brothers against each other.

RELATED: Meghan Markle made sure freckles weren't airbrushed out of her guest-edited Vogue cover

Prince Harry and Prince William issued a joint statement saying reports Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are leaving the royal family because of "bullying" are false. "Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a U.K. newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge," the statement said. They went as far as to call the report "offensive and potentially harmful" because of its "use of inflammatory language."

Prince Harry and Markle are currently involved in a lawsuit against several British publications for their coverage of Markle. "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," Prince Harry said. "There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face – as so many of you can relate to – I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been."

RELATED: Meghan Markle delivers powerful speech on gender-based violence in South Africa: 'I am here with you as a woman of color and as your sister'

In a documentary about how harmful the British press was towards the Sussexes, Markle told ITV reporter Tom Bradby she was unprepared for how scathing the press would be. "Look, any woman when they're — especially when they're pregnant, you're really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging, and then when you have a newborn" Markle said in the interview, "it's a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed."

The good news is that the Queen is supportive of the soon-to-be former royals' decision. "My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family," the Queen said in a statement. "Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family."

Prince Harry and Markle have also outlined the changes in how they plan to deal with the media, hopefully changes for the better.

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It's a boy! Duchess Kate Middleton gives birth to the 3rd royal baby. Here's what we know.

The new prince is fifth in the line of succession to the throne.

On Monday, April 23, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to a son, weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces.

The announcement was posted on the official Kensington Palace Twitter account, which noted that Prince William was on-site for the birth of the couple's third child. The new baby will join siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who are 4 and 2 years old, respectively.

As is tradition, a birth notice was posted in the court in front of the palace, where it'll stay for 24 hours before being sent to the Privy Council Office for official recording.

[rebelmouse-image 19346870 dam="1" original_size="750x461" caption="Outside of Buckingham Palace, an announcement reads: "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 11:01am today. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well." Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images." expand=1]Outside of Buckingham Palace, an announcement reads: "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 11:01am today. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well." Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

Congratulatory notes rolled in, with Prime Minister Theresa May wishing the couple "great happiness for the future."

For the first time in history, a princess wasn't moved down in the line of succession to the throne with the birth of a younger brother.

The new baby takes up the fifth spot in the line of succession, behind Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte. Prince Harry was bumped from fifth to sixth.

In previous generations, a newborn prince would be placed ahead of his older sister in the line. A British law passed in 2015 changed that, meaning that Charlotte retains her spot as fourth on the list.

Why care about a royal baby in the year 2018? And isn't monarchy a bit dated? Sure, but the royal family has a history in recent years of using its influence for good.

The royal family doesn't actually wield that much power these days, functioning mostly as figureheads. Still, that doesn't mean they can't use their platforms to bring attention to causes that matter.

Prince William, Prince George, Duchess Kate, and Princess Charlotte in 2017. Photo by Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images.

For the past couple of years, Princes William and Harry, as well as Kate Middleton, have used their influence to try to spark important conversations about mental health care. Harry spoke out on his own mental health struggles, the two brothers shared a heartfelt conversation about what it was like to lose their mother at such a young age, and William chatted with Lady Gaga for the Heads Together campaign. In January, Middleton announced a new program focused on discussing mental health issues with schoolchildren.

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Kate Middleton continues the royal family's mental health focus with a new program.

If anyone grasps the importance of mental health, it's the royal family.

Princes Harry and William, as well as Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, have made it their mission to bring the critical issue to the public's attention.

In 2016, they teamed up with mental health charity Heads Together and released a public service announcement about why it's so important to discuss mental health. Since then, they've made a number of public appearances in support of the cause. Harry opened up about his own mental health struggles, and the brothers filmed themselves talking about what it was like losing their mother at such a young age. They even got together with Lady Gaga to help raise awareness.

Flanked by Princes William (left) and Harry, Middleton helped launch the Heads Together campaign on April 21, 2016. Photo by Nicky J. Sims/Getty Images for Royal Foundation.

Middleton decided to start 2018 with a fresh new program aimed at bringing the conversation to those who need it most: kids.

Speaking at Roe Green Junior School in North London, Middleton announced the launch of Mentally Healthy Schools, a new Heads Together program aimed at creating mental health resources for children and teachers alike.

"What we have seen firsthand is that the simple act of having a conversation about mental health — that initial breaking of the silence — can make a real difference," she said. "My own commitment is to the youngest and most vulnerable in their early years — babies, toddlers, and school-children — and to support all those who care for them."

Middleton meets with children at Roe Green Junior School. Photo by Jonathan BradyAFP/Getty Images.

The program's goal is to bring these resources to every school in the U.K. without making unreasonable demands of teachers.

Teachers have a lot of work to do, and too often, they get more piled on without much thought as to how they'll actually get it done. Middleton cautioned against this in her speech, noting that the program will be aimed at helping teachers know where they can turn to when one of their students needs help, not necessarily having to be the experts themselves.

"You need resources you can trust, and you need to have easy access to them at all times," she told her audience. "The ultimate goal is that all teachers in the country should know where to turn for expert resources to support the emotional well-being and mental health of children in their care."

Middleton discusses the new program. Photo by Jonathan Brady - WPA Pool/Getty Images.

You don't have to be royalty to start a conversation in your community about mental health.

Mental health stigma is very real and often discourages people from seeking the help they need, making their problems worse in the long run. The most important thing any of us can do as individuals is to fight back against the notion that people who seek help for their mental health are somehow weak or defective. The National Association on Mental Illness put together a brilliant list of nine things we can all do to facilitate conversations about mental health and fight stigma.

You can watch Middleton's announcement below.

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States are starting to require mental health classes for all students. It’s about dang time. - Upworthy ›

William and Harry share never-before-seen vintage pics of Princess Diana.

Reflecting golden hues reminiscent of a different time, newly released vintage photos of Princess Diana have sparked feelings of nostalgia and bittersweet smiles across the globe.

The previously private pics, just shared by Princes William and Harry, show the unbreakable everlasting bond between a mother and her children.

Princess Diana and Prince Harry. Photo via the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry/Getty Images Publicity.

The royal family shared the photos ahead of a new documentary honoring the princess, "Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy," which will air on ITV in the U.K. and HBO in the U.S. to acknowledge the 20-year mark of her passing.

The princess died tragically in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997.

“Our mother was a total kid, through and through," Harry reminisced in a heartfelt clip promoting the film.

"Everybody says to me, ‘so she was fun, give us an example,’" he continued. "All I can hear is her laugh in my head — that sort of crazy laugh, where there was just pure happiness shown on her face.”

Princess Diana, pregnant with Prince Harry, holds Prince William. Photo via the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry/Getty Images Publicity.

“One of her mottos to me was, ‘You can be as naughty as you want — just don’t get caught,'" Harry said in the video. "She was one of the naughtiest parents."

More recently, William and Harry have opened up about how they coped after their mother's shocking, untimely death.

“I always thought to myself, 'what’s the point of bringing up the past?'” Harry had said in a video posted to the royal family's Facebook page in April. “It’s very easy to run away from it, to walk away from it, and avoid it the whole time," William sympathized, Princess Kate at his side.

As the pair have learned more recently, pushing those feelings down and not talking about them is far less helpful and healthy than talking about the past with loved ones or mental health professionals.

Princes William (above) and Harry (below) on a picnic bench. Photo via the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry/Getty Images Publicity.

William and Harry, alongside Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, have made mental health a key issue in the royal family's public platform.

Heads Together, a stigma-busting campaign encouraging Brits to speak up and access help when it comes to their own mental well-being, was the official charity partner of the 2017 London Marathon.

For William, who has two small children, an important component in addressing his own mental health is sharing stories about his mother and keeping her legacy alive.

“I do regularly, putting George and Charlotte to bed, talk about [Diana] and try and remind them that there were two grandmothers in their lives," William explained.

Whether children are dealing with the immediate aftermath of a loved one's death or learning about ancestors and relatives who passed before they were born through family photos and stories, there are ways to help make that potentially difficult process a healthy and helpful one.

"It’s important that [George and Charlotte] know who she was and that she existed," William noted.

Watch a promotional clip of "Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy" below:

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Anyone who's lost a parent can relate to Prince Harry's candid chat with his brother.

'It's very easy to run away from it, to walk away from it and avoid it the whole time.'

Prince William and Prince Harry are finally opening up about one of the toughest subjects imaginable: the sudden, untimely death of their mother in 1997.

In a new video, live-streamed on the royal family's Facebook page, the two brothers spoke about what they wish they had done differently when they lost their mother in a car accident nearly 20 years ago and why they hope that speaking out will help others experiencing similar loss.

All GIFs from Heads Together/YouTube.

Over the past year, the royal family has been working closely with mental health advocacy group Heads Together to reduce the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

Earlier this week, Harry gave an extremely candid and in-depth interview to The Telegraph's Bryony Gordon about what led him to seek counseling. The following day, William chatted with Lady Gaga for its #OKtoSay series.

Both brothers admitted to bottling up their feelings in the wake of Diana's death.

Listening to Harry struggle even to discuss just how hard it was to let himself think about his mother's death and hearing William's measured, firm, yet loving push to get his brother to that point makes it clear why this issue is so near and dear to their hearts. The royal family has an enormous platform, and they have chosen to use it discuss mental health — their own mental health — one of the hardest things to talk about in private, let alone so publicly.

This isn't easy for them, that much is clear. But 20 years later, following such a tragic loss, they're leading by example, and that is a very welcome thing indeed.

Watch the powerfully earnest conversation below, and learn more about Heads Together on the organization's website.

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Lady Gaga calls out interviewer's 'sexist' double standards when he asks about her 'provocative lyrics' - Upworthy ›

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The touching reason Lady Gaga called Prince William to thank him.

Lady Gaga is a big fan of the royal family's mental health awareness campaign — so much so that she gave Prince William a call from her kitchen to thank him for it.

On April 18, 2017, Kensington Palace shared a video of the two candidly FaceTiming across the ocean, chatting about the royal family's Heads Together initiative — an effort to get more people in the U.K. (and elsewhere) to de-stigmatize mental illness and speak up about their own experiences with mental health treatments.

Photo via Kensington Palace/Twitter.

In the video, Gaga — who, in 2016, shared that she's living with PTSD — praised Prince William, Prince Harry, and Princess Kate's efforts on the issue.

The campaign, she noted, has reminded her how much opening up about her own mental health changed her life.

"Even though it was hard," she explained, "it was the best thing that could come out of my mental illness — was to share it with other people."

As Prince William explains in the video, the royal family decided to prioritize mental illness awareness in part because it's such an intersectional topic, affecting other issues like addiction treatment, homelessness, and caring for veterans.

"Most of [these other causes] seemed to stem back to mental health issues," the prince shared.

Many Twitter users applauded the video's message and the duo's joining of forces to take on an important issue:

The topic of mental illness is also deeply personal within the royal family.

Just this week, Prince Harry opened up about his own struggles with mental illness years ago, dealing with the death of a parent at a young age as the entire world watched.

There was no magic "fix," of course — no one pill or single trip to a counselor made his mental health struggles disappear, Prince Harry told The Telegraph. But just taking that first (and often most difficult) step — opening up to others — put him on the right path to feeling better.

"The experience I have had," he said, "is that once you start talking about it, you realize that actually you’re part of quite a big club."

Watch Lady Gaga and Prince William's conversation below:

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The royal family: Mental health is just as important as physical health.

"[Mental health] matters just as much as our physical health," Prince William said at a recent event in London.

"There are times when, whoever we are, it is hard to cope with challenges — and when that happens, being open and honest and asking for help is life-changing."

Photo by Stefan Wermuth-WPA Pool/Getty Images.

Prince William, along with Princess Catherine and Prince Harry, gave important speeches on destigmatizing mental illness on Jan. 17, 2017.

The royals addressed a room full of reporters at the Institute of Contemporary Arts about the necessity for all of us to reach out if we're struggling in silence.

Photo by Stefan Wermuth-WPA Pool/Getty Images.

The three threw the event to support Heads Together, an initiative aimed at prioritizing mental health in Britain and the official charity partner of the 2017 London Marathon.

The royals dropped some serious truths about why this issue matters so much.

Kate explained how talking really can feel like a dose of medicine.

Harry noted why he's looking ahead with lots of hope when it comes to our perceptions of mental health.

And William noted that 2017 could be a big year in changing the conversation around mental illness.

Coincidentally, the message of the royals' Heads Together event is particularly meaningful in the U.S. right now, where the Affordable Care Act is on the chopping block.

The same day William, Kate, and Harry gave their speeches in London, mental health advocates in the United States got some potentially sobering news.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a study that found stripping away key provisions of the Affordable Care Act may cost 18 million people their health insurance in the first year alone, according to The New York Times. That number could tick upward to 32 million throughout the next decade, marking a major reversal in the health care coverage expansion we've seen since Obamacare passed.

This, of course, wouldn't just affect physical health ailments. Many plans provided by Obamacare offered services like depression screenings and included access to physicians who could diagnose and treat conditions like bipolar disorder. Millions of Americans could lose access to these life-changing mental health benefits.

While continued destigmatization of mental illness shows great progress, it's also vital that progress is reflected in the laws we live by.

Prince William is right — 2017 can be a major tipping point for helping those in need of mental health services. But we should make sure the right kind of care is available to those brave enough to speak up, too.

Here's how to tell your representative in Washington you think mental health coverage is vital and believe the Affordable Care Act should stay.