The founder of a teen advocacy group says Meghan Markle recently claimed she is “one of the most bullied people in the world.”
The alleged comments came during an Oct. 2 event hosted by Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara.
Meghan’s appearance at the event was linked to the launch of Social Media UK. The organization is described as a “digital wellness program” that will be partially funded by their Archewell Foundation.
At one point in the afternoon, Meghan spoke candidly about being bullied, according to Larissa May, founder of the advocacy group #HalfTheStory.
“Meghan talked about being one of the most bullied people in the world,” May said. Vanity Fair post event.
May claimed the controversial comment came while attendees were “doing an activity where we talked through a number of scenarios.”
“We talked to the girls about how each of these scenarios would have affected them emotionally, while waving these little emoji signs,” she said.
“We talked about what it really means to grow up in this digital age.”
a disputed claim
Meghan has spent years facing intense criticism from the media and harassment from her own family.
However, sources close to the Duchess of Sussex deny this and have claimed herself to be one of those being highly bullied.
An insider tells New York Post Meghan “spoke about her experience of online bullying but never claimed she was the most bullied person in the world.”
It’s interesting that Meghan’s team bothered to refute such an innocuous claim.
It may be a simple matter of ensuring that the Duchess is not misquoted in the press. Or the need to set the record straight may be motivated by concerns about Meghan’s public image.
a popularity crisis
A recent UK poll indicated that Meghan was one of the least popular royals. She was overtaken only by scandal-plagued Prince Andrew.
There are many possible reasons for this. And Meghan’s ongoing feud with Kate Middleton has certainly affected how she is perceived abroad.
But there is also a feeling among Britons that Meghan and Prince Harry complain too much.
Harry’s memoir remains a source of controversy in Britain. And the overall feeling is that Harry and Meghan haven’t exactly adopted the “never complain, never explain” ethos of the senior royals.
We’re sure the Sussexes would admit that they don’t try to live up to that motto.
But there is a difference between openness and victim mentality. And Meghan’s team may have felt it wouldn’t be a good idea to worry about being bullied during a charity event.