Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has been advised by a former royal butler to learn to "rise above" the cyber-bullying claims she recently shared during a panel at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Texas. Grant Harrold, a former royal aide, suggested that Meghan should follow the example set by Catherine, the Princess of Wales, who refrains from engaging with social media despite the potential for negative comments.
During the SXSW panel, Meghan opened up about the extent of the online abuse she received from trolls while pregnant with her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The Duchess revealed that the "worst of the bullying" occurred during her pregnancies and after the births of her children, prompting her to keep her distance from social media for her own well-being.
In response to Meghan's heartbreaking admission, Harrold told GB News, "Millions of people sadly get online bullying... it happens all the time." He went on to explain that many members of the Royal Family avoid social media to shield themselves from negative comments, stating, "A lot of the members of the Royal Family do not go on social media for that very reason. So they don't see the negative comments. There is positive but there is always negative."
Harrold emphasized the importance of rising above the criticism, citing the Princess of Wales as an example. "Sometimes you should be rising above it. Catherine the Princess of Wales could be on social media but she doesn't talk about it," he said. Currently, only a handful of Royal Family members maintain public social media accounts, including Sarah, Duchess of York, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Lady Amelia Windsor, Lady Gabriella Kingston, and Cassius and Columbus Taylor.
Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, quit social media in January 2021 following a barrage of abuse after their decision to step down as senior working members of the Royal Family. The couple previously used their Instagram account, SussexRoyal, to communicate directly with their followers but announced their withdrawal on March 30, 2020.
In a statement shared with followers, the Duke and Duchess said, "While you may not see us here, the work continues. Thank you to this community - for the support, the inspiration and the shared commitment to the good in the world. We look forward to reconnecting with you soon. You've been great! Until then, please take good care of yourselves, and of one another. Harry and Meghan."
Speaking on World Mental Health Day in 2021, Meghan revealed the extent of the online harassment she faced, telling a podcast, "I'm told that in 2019 I was the most trolled person in the entire world, male or female. Now, eight months of that I wasn't even visible, I was on maternity leave or with a baby. But what was able to just be manufactured and churned out, it's almost unsurvivable, that's so big, you can't think of what that feels like, because I don't care if you're 15 or 25, if people are saying things about you that aren't true, what that does to your mental and emotional health is so damaging."
The panel at SXSW, titled 'Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen', also featured Meghan discussing her work with actress Geena Davis and Moms First to help raise awareness about the way mothers are depicted on television. The conversation turned towards social media and "trolling," with the Duchess posing the question of why people would be "hateful" and "cruel" online.
Meghan and Harry's efforts to raise awareness about the need for stricter regulation to protect younger users from the dangers of social media align with their recent warning that "the best parenting in the world cannot keep children safe from these platforms." The couple released a surprise statement in February after chief executives from several social media giants testified in front of parents who lost their children because of online harm.
