Meghan Markle opens up about cyberbullying she suffered while pregnant – ‘It’s cruel’

Meghan Markle has revealed that online bullying against her reached its zenith at a vulnerable time.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, told the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, that she experienced the worst abuse on social media when she was expecting her son Prince Archie, 4, and daughter Princess Lilybet, 2, and when the children they were babies to her.

“Mammal instinct just kicks in”

In a question to Megan during the Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: Haines event, moderator Errin Haines asked, “Social media has really become the place where women and girls are controlled, objectified, bullied, and unfortunately I know this is something you know all too well. How did you manage the seemingly endless toxicity?’

The Duchess of Sussex took a minute to collect her thoughts and began: “Yes, social media is an environment that I think has a lot of that. You know, I think, it’s really interesting, as I can think about it, that I distance myself from it now just for my own well-being, but most of the bullying and abuse that I experienced on social media and online was when I was pregnant with Archie and Lily, and while they were newborns.’

And he went on to say, “Just think about that, and realize why people are so hostile. It’s not mean, it’s cruel. I think you know, you can either give in to it, almost give in to how painful it is, and maybe in some ways, because you’re pregnant, that mammalian instinct just kicks in, you do what you can to protect your child and, as result, you also protect yourself”.

Megan said a lot of work needs to be done to keep people safe online, but she finds it “disturbing” that “much of the hate is women spewing it exclusively at other women”.

“We all know she’s not perfect”

Meghan’s pregnancy with Prince Archie came during her time living in the UK with husband Prince Harry, before they stepped back from their royal roles and moved to the state of California in 2020, where Princess Lillibet was born in 2021.

Elsewhere in the wide-ranging discussion with Katie Couric, Brooke Shields and sociologist, pop culture expert and DEI adviser Nancy Wang Yuen on International Women’s Day, the Duchess of Sussex addressed how illusions perpetuated by the media social networking can be especially harmful to new mothers.

“As a mother, and as I was saying earlier when you’re a new mother, you’re in a really vulnerable time. The effect that social media can have on new mothers, even the lack of sleep from spending all that time scrolling, can also be really dizzying for them, especially when they see this depiction of motherhood that looks so perfect , while we all know she’s not perfect,” Megan said.

“We all know it sucks. I’m lucky in that, among the privileges I have in my life, I have an incredible partner,” she said, gesturing to Prince Harry, who was sitting front row at the event.

*With information from People | Main subject photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool