Meghan Markle recalls being harassed by ‘cruel’ cyberbullies while she was pregnant

Royal family

By Nicki Gostin

Meghan Markle claims that most of the online abuse she received occurred when she was pregnant or had recently given birth.

“The majority of the harassment and abuse I was experiencing on social media and online was when I was pregnant, with Archie and Lili, and a newborn for each of them,” the “Suits” alum said. 42 years old, at a SXSW panel on Friday.

The Duchess of Sussex participated in the debate on online trolling alongside Brooke Shields, Katie Couric and author and sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen.

Markle then asked the audience, including her husband Prince Harry, to “understand why people would be so hateful.”

“It’s not malicious, it’s cruel,” he added. “Why would you do that?”

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Markle gave birth to Prince Archie while still an active member of the royal family in May 2019.

Princess Lilibet arrived two years later, after the Sussexes abandoned royal duties and moved to California.

Markle has been open in the past about her fight against online hate.

During her and Harry’s sit-down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, she revealed that she contemplated ending her life in part because of the vitriol she had endured.

The mother of two then shared at a gala in New York: “Look, I was really embarrassed to say it at the time and I was embarrassed to have to admit it to Harry, especially because I know how much loss he’s suffered, but I knew that if I didn’t say it, then I would do it. “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.”

At Friday’s SXSW panel, Markle also took the time to praise Harry for being an “incredible partner.”

“I am lucky because among the privileges I have in my life I have an incredible partner,” she said. “My husband is a very hands-on father and a great support to me and our family and I don’t take that for granted. “It is a true blessing.”

On Thursday night, the couple enjoyed a romantic date night at Soho House in Austin before Markle’s appearance on the panel, for which she was billed as a “visionary female leader.”