A lot of people have strong opinions about Meghan Markle, and frankly, a lot of them are not good. Critics have been coming for her since before she and Prince Harry chose to exit the Royal Family and move to the United States, and things have only gotten more contentious since the couple began dropping bombshells about their reasons for doing so. However, Markle does have her supporters as well, and one royal correspondent praised her for speaking out, as she is allegedly not alone in being a “victim of abuse.”
In August, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spoke jointly about The Parents’ Network, an initiative launched through their Archewell Foundation to help families of children lost to online abuse and those struggling with it. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond applauded Markle’s efforts in speaking out about the online hate she receives, and says the Duchess of Sussex isn’t the only Royal Family member to endure such treatment. Bond told GBNews:
I applaud the efforts that Meghan and Harry are making to help make the digital world a safer place especially for young people. I am truly sorry that Meghan was subjected to abuse and bullying during her pregnancies and beyond. No one should have to read disgusting abuse like that at any point in their lives. Sadly, though, Meghan is not alone in being bullied.
Specifically, Jennie Bond named Sarah Ferguson and Kate Middleton as two women who allegedly faced scrutiny similar to what Meghan Markle endured when they married into the family. The expert continued:
Meghan is far from alone in being a victim of abuse. But good on her for trying to do something about it.
Today, Kate Middleton is the most popular member of the Royal Family, posting a 66% favorability rating in an Ipsos survey from September — the same month she returned to royal duties following treatment for cancer, which she revealed to the public in March. However, as Jennie Bond pointed out, it wasn’t always that way.
Back in 2010 the Princess of Wales opened up about the “nerve-wracking” process of marrying into Prince William’s family and spoke of the nasty things said about her online and in the press.
Sarah Ferguson has been candid in the past about her own self-esteem issues stemming from public comments made when she became the Duchess of York. On her 2011 reality show, Fergie said at the time she saw herself as “unlovable” and “worthless.”
It’s disheartening to hear that marrying into the Royal Family has been so rough on these women, and despite public opinion of her — Meghan Markle was just 21% favorable in the same Ipsos poll — hopefully her efforts to fight online hate will help lots of people going forward.
As for whether the rift between Prince Harry and his family can ever be repaired — following the release of the docuseries Harry & Meghan (available to stream with a Netflix subscription) and his memoir Spare, which makes several allegations about the Royal Family — is another question. Some reports suggest the Duke of Sussex wants to mend the rift, while others say the relationship between King Charles III and his youngest son is at an all-time low.
We’ll have to wait and see if there’s any mending of these fences down the road.