Meghan Markle says she was ‘most trolled person in the entire world’

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have opened up about their personal struggles during their trip to Australia.

The Sussexes landed in the country on Tuesday for a four-day tour of Australia, almost ten years after their last visit when they were still working royals.

Meghan revealed she was ‘bullied and attacked’ every day for 10 years online during a discussion about the pitfalls of social media with young people from the mental health organisation Batyr.

The 44-year-old Suits star said: ‘For now, 10 years, every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked. And I was the most trolled person in the entire world.

‘Now, I’m still here.’

She criticised the social media companies and clicks for being ‘anchored in cruelty,’ saying there was no incentive for them to change.

Meanwhile, Harry opened up about the moment that made him consider going to therapy after hitting rock bottom.

He said: ‘I waited until I was literally in the fetal position, much older, lying on the kitchen floor.

‘Until I was like, ok maybe this therapy thing – maybe I should try it.’

Aside from campaigning about the harms of social media, the Sussexes attended an InterEdge Summit in Melbourne, where tickets started from £525. It is understood that Harry was not paid a fee for his speech.

The Duke of Sussex, who lost his mum Princess Diana just before turning 13, talked about feeling lost, grief and the appearance of having ‘his s*** together.’

He said: ‘Grief does not disappear because we ignore it. Experiencing that as a kid while in a goldfish bowl under constant surveillance, yes, that will have its challenges. And without purpose, it can break you.

‘There have been many times when I’ve felt overwhelmed.

‘Times when I’ve felt lost, betrayed, or completely powerless.

‘Times when the pressure – externally and internally – felt constant.

‘And times when, despite everything going on, I still had to show up pretending everything was ok, so as not to let anyone down.

‘For many years I was numb to it, and perhaps that was easier then, but I also didn’t yet have the tools to deal with it.’

In recent years and since stepping down as working royals, Harry has opened up about his mental health struggles and his past, most famously in his 2023 memoir Spare.

Meghan made an appearance on MasterChef Australia, which she filmed yesterday. She was not paid for the appearance, it is understood.

The Duke of Sussex also talked about Australia’s social media ban for under-16s, which he heralded as ‘epic’ from a leadership standpoint, but he said it raises questions about the role of tech companies.

He said: ‘It should have never, ever got to a ban. And now that the ban is in place, now what follows?

‘Because the companies themselves have to be accountable, and there’s no way that young people should be punished by being banned from something that should be safe to use, no matter what.’

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