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Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has recently taken on a new campaign against online bullying, but experts warn that this initiative may have unintended consequences. During her visit to Girls Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young girls, Meghan spoke candidly about the negative impact of bullying and the dangers of the online world. However, some critics argue that her involvement in this campaign might backfire.
Royal expert Kinsey Schofield has expressed skepticism about Meghan’s focus on bullying, noting the timing and context surrounding her public statements. Schofield remarked, “Many will consider Meghan referring to herself as the most bullied person in the world while being a target of a Buckingham Palace bullying investigation, or a Hollywood Reporter investigation, a masterclass in gaslighting.”
This statement refers to the ongoing scrutiny of Meghan’s own behavior during her time as a working royal, where allegations of bullying palace staff were raised, though no formal charges were ever made. Schofield believes that by continuing to address the issue of bullying publicly, Meghan may be inadvertently drawing more attention to those past allegations.
“By continuing to draw attention to the concept of bullying, she is only attracting more attention to her own bullying allegations,” Schofield added. During her recent appearance at Girls Inc., Meghan participated in an activity aimed at helping young girls better understand and cope with bullying. According to reports, she shared her own personal experiences of being targeted by online trolls.
“We did an activity where we talked through a bunch of scenarios,” Meghan explained to the group. “And I talked about being one of the most bullied people in the world.” Meghan has previously opened up about the intense scrutiny she faced from the British press and the public during her time as a senior royal, claiming that the relentless negativity affected her mental health.
In a 2020 podcast interview, she described feeling like she was “the most trolled person in the world” during her pregnancy with her son, Archie. Despite her ongoing efforts to combat bullying, the Duchess of Sussex has faced criticism from some who believe that her anti-bullying advocacy could come across as tone-deaf, given the unresolved claims against her.
The accusations that Meghan mistreated palace staff were made public in 2021, just before her and Prince Harry’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. At the time, Buckingham Palace announced it would launch an internal investigation into the claims, though the findings were never made public.
While Meghan continues to champion causes related to mental health and women’s empowerment, including her recent work at Girls Inc., some experts suggest that her involvement in conversations about bullying might only serve to reignite the debate around her own behavior during her time with the royal family.
As Meghan pushes forward with her campaign, time will tell if her efforts to address online bullying will overshadow the controversies of the past or if, as critics like Schofield predict, they may inadvertently “attract the wrong attention.”
