Meghan Markle has faced a huge wave of online hate since joining the royal family.
From the moment the former Suits actress was rumoured to be dating Prince Harry, she was hounded by the press and public alike, with Harry forced to release an unprecedented statement asking for her privacy.
Since becoming a royal family member it only got worse. The run-up to the couple’s wedding was overshadowed by Thomas Markle drama and cruel reports of Meghan making Kate Middleton cry, pitting the royal sisters-in-law against each other.
Then, during her pregnancy, the speculation got even more vicious, with even George Clooney stepping in to voice his shock at the unprovoked abuse aimed at her, from body shaming to constant slander against her in the tabloids.
The Duchess of Sussex was certainly one of the biggest royal victims to the dreaded rumour mill, with false (and harmful) reports about the former Suitsactress surfacing each day.
The element Meghan Markle reportedly found particularly hard to deal with however, was her inability to defend herself, with the Palace having a ‘no comment’ rule.
According to new reports, Meghan felt “unprotected” during her time in the royal family, something a source opened up about recently to People.
“The go-to position was ‘no comment’ or to ignore stories, and people actively prevented her from responding to stuff that we knew to be untrue,” a source explained to the publication. “That is what she is taking issue with.”
The source continued: “The palace teams are faced with the difficulty that when things go wrong – particularly on private life matters – quite often any action taken with the media makes it worse. It’s not that the royal household doesn’t want to help — more that they don’t want to make it worse by giving a gossipy story more oxygen.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were eventually forced to step down from their royal family roles, become financially independent and relocate to Los Angeles for the sake of their mental health.
They are now in the midst of a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, taking action against the ‘abuse’ Meghan faced.
The case is ongoing.
This article originally appeared on marie claire UK.
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