Meghan Markle's friends are concerned by the emotional abuse against her

‘We worry about what this is doing to her and the baby'

Being a royal had its advantages – the fashion, the princes, the tiaras, the castles – but it definitely also has its drawbacks, from the end of privacy to the dreaded rumour mill.

No one knows this more than Meghan Markle, who has endured an endless stream of online bullying since becoming a Duchess. From the continuous speculation around a supposed feud with Kate Middleton to racist abuse, it has gotten extremely out of hand, with it emerging this week that the social media backlash against the two women is getting increasingly serious.

‘The Palace has always monitored comments, but it’s a hugely time consuming thing. They can block certain words, but some of it is quite serious,’ a source explained to Hello!

‘It follows a Kate vs Meghan narrative and some of the worst stuff is between Kate fans and Meghan fans,’ the source continued, inspiring Hello!’s #HelloToKindness campaign. ‘Arguments about who looks more appropriate, for example, that turn into personal attacks on other users. It’s creating a supercharged atmosphere and everyone can join in, but what are the consequences of this?’

Following the ‘global bullying’ Meghan has faced, her friends have finally spoken out, voicing their concerns for the emotional trauma that she is suffering during her pregnancy.

‘Meg has always sat silently back and endured the lies and untruths,’ a friend told People. ‘We worry about what this is doing to her and the baby. It's wrong to put anyone under this much emotional trauma, let alone when they're pregnant.’

The source continued: ‘Meg spends so much time taking care of everyone else - we want to stand up against the bullying down. Harry is an incredible husband and takes such good care of her. We feel so lucky that someone's come into her life who takes care of her the way she takes care of all of us. Now we want to stand up against the global bullying we are seeing and speak the truth about who our friend - a mother-to-be - really is.’

Shouldn’t 2019 be the year that online bullying ends for good?