Meghan Markle perceives the bullying allegations against her in a different light, deeming herself one of the world’s most bullied persons. The Sussexes Survivors Club keeps growing with more people claiming the Duchess of Sussex bullied them at some point. While the Sussexes’ team has constantly denied these bullying allegations, tagging it as an attempt to “undermine her character,” more reports of her alleged bullying have continued to surface. Most recently, Meghan found herself nose-deep in allegations of bullying her staff so much that they christened her “Duchess Difficult.”
The Duchess of Sussex, who has refrained from directly addressing these latest allegations, recently discussed her take on the resulting online vitriol. Last week, Meghan Markle attended an empowerment program at Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara, where she addressed young girls about the impact of bullying and the role social media plays. The preeminent girls’ leadership organization has benefited financially from Harry and Meghan’s charitable endeavors via the Archewell Foundation.
Addressing the young girls at the event, the 43-year-old shared her own experience with online harassment and bullying while partaking in the screen-free afternoon packed with activities like gaming and painting. #HalfTheStory founder Larissa May and CEO Stephanie J. Hull also joined the girls, empowering them with accounts of their own experiences in the online space. Larissa shared her inside account of the impactful afternoon with the tweens in an interview with Vanity Fair. She detailed some of the activities they took part in, and how Meghan Markle described herself as one of the world’s most bullied people. Larissa divulged,
“We did an activity where we talked through a bunch of scenarios, and Meghan talked about being one of the most bullied people in the world. We had girls wave these little emoji signs and talk about how each one of these scenarios would have impacted them emotionally.”
The revelation has since sparked mixed reactions online, with some netizens justifying the claims given Harry and Meghan’s open accounts of their online harassment and media vitriol. However, some have expressly condemned the duchess, deeming her claims as another baseless attempt to portray herself as the victim. Speaking to GB News, journalist Neil Wallis divulged,
“She’s an appalling woman. The idea that you could sit there and say publicly ‘I am one of the most bullied people in the world’ to a bunch of 11-year-olds, I wonder what victims of domestic violence felt about that.”
Going further, Neil noted that Meghan Markle’s public labeling of herself as a “bullied” person could trigger some groups of people, particularly victims of domestic violence. Such “tone-deaf” claim, he noted, “strikes right to your core” for such people, something the duchess clearly failed to consider when portraying herself as a victim.
While neither Meghan Markle nor her husband Prince Harry has responded to claims that she ranked herself among the “most bullied,” sources close to the mom-of-two have spoken up in her defense. According to The New York Post, sources acknowledged that Meghan Markle indeed discussed her bullying experiences. However, they debunked claims that the Suits alum tagged herself “the most bullied person in the world.”
This isn’t the first time Meghan has leveraged her experiences of online harassment during such an event. In the last four years, the Sussexes have shared these experiences, both within the royal fold and distorted reports by news outlets aimed at portraying them in a negative light. These accounts have led to the Sussexes being mocked for endlessly portraying themselves as victims. Yet, they continue to share their experiences, empowering youths to better navigate social media bullying while guarding their mental health.
