Meghan Markle has faced an endless stream of online bullying since becoming a royal, with the shocking level of abuse attacking everything from her family and race to her body and parenting.
‘I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces’, Prince Harry announced earlier this year, as the couple pursued legal action against the tabloids that had ‘bullied’ the former Suits actress.
‘There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behaviour, because it destroys people and destroys lives. Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people. We all know this isn’t acceptable, at any level. We won’t and can’t live in a world where there is no accountability for this.’
One of the most shocking details from Meghan Markle’s abuse was how unfair it was - with the Duchess neither provoking the bullying or (due to her title) able to publicly defend herself.
It was almost a relief therefore when it was announced this week that she had been named the UK’s most unfairly treated person of 2019.
Yes, that’s a horrible title to win, but at least people are recognising that her treatment has been unfair. As little as it is, that is progress.
The survey, conducted by PlayOJO saw over 2,000 people vote, with 50% of partakers voting for Meghan.
According to the public, the Duchess is the most unfairly treated this year, followed by Ant McPartlin, The Queen, Greta Thunberg and Alex Hollywood.
‘We’re keen to re-address the 2019 balance and not only acknowledge Meghan Markle's tumultuous year, but offer her some respite,’ a spokesperson for PlayOJO explained. ‘Whatever you think of her, the majority of us Brits clearly agree on one thing - she’s had a pretty tough year.’
The spokesperson continued: ‘Ever since her relationship with Prince Harry became public, she has become the victim of severe and often unjustified criticism. It’s no surprise the nation thinks she’s been the most unfairly treated person of 2019. Treating our players fairly is fundamental to our business, we know how bad it feels to be treated unfairly in the casino industry, so we asked participants in our survey how we could make Meghan Markle’s year fairer if they had a chance. Answers ranged from giving her some down time to simply getting her a drink!’
Now that Meghan has been officially named the UK’s most unfairly treated person of 2019, can we all give her a break?
