Meghan Markle Acknowledges Prince Harry's Support in Empowering Speech on Combatting Bullying

Meghan Markle Gives Incredible Prince Harry a Shout Out During Powerful Speech About Bullying

Meghan Markle SUZANNE CORDEIRO / AFP) (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images

Prince Harry is a huge supporter of his wife Meghan Markle, and she appreciates him greatly.

During the opening day panel at South By Southwest titled "Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen," Meghan, who is 42 years old, mentioned her husband, who is 39, while talking about the challenges new mothers face on social media.

Social media can have a big impact on new mothers. Spending hours scrolling can lead to lack of sleep. It can also be overwhelming to see a perfect portrayal of motherhood when in reality, it's messy. Meghan shared this with the crowd on March 8th.

Meghan, who is a mother to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, emphasized the importance of having support. Having someone to lean on can make new moms less susceptible to online bullying.

"I'm really lucky to have an amazing partner in my life," she shared with the audience, gesturing towards Harry who was seated in the front row. "My husband is a very involved father and a great supporter of me and my family. I truly appreciate and value that."

The author of The Bench then added, "This is something I consider a true blessing. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same level of support. That's why I believe it's important for us to implement measures to protect women and especially mothers from feeling even more vulnerable when they are online."

Meghan was a featured speaker at Friday's panel, hosted by the Archewell Foundation and The 19th, a nonprofit newsroom covering gender, politics, and policy.

Meghan Markle Gives Incredible Prince Harry a Shout Out During Powerful Speech About Bullying

Meghan Markle discussed the negative comments she received on social media while pregnant with her children.

Meghan expressed her thoughts on the issue of saying mean things about women online, stating that it is not just catty, but actually cruel. She questioned the reason behind such behavior, especially when one is pregnant or has a newborn, recognizing that this period is a delicate and special time for mothers.

She emphasized that individuals who are being bullied have a choice - they can either give in to the negativity or stand up for themselves and their children by not allowing the hurtful words to affect them.

She expressed sadness over how “disturbing” it is that “much of the hate is women completely spewing it to other women, noting that she “cannot make sense of that” as a woman herself.

“It’s a platform that has quite a bit of hate and rhetoric and incentives people to create pages where they can churn out very, very inciting comments and conspiracy theories that can have a tremendously negative effect on someone’s mental health, on their physical safety,” Meghan said, pointing out that when someone spreads the hate speech it’s as if “we have forgotten about our humanity.”

Meghan has openly talked about feeling bullied while living in the U.K. during her first pregnancy. She blamed the English tabloids and alleged racism as the reasons she and Harry decided to step down as senior royals in 2020 and move to California.

During a CBS tell-all in March 2021, Meghan shared, “I just couldn’t see a way out. I would stay up at night, thinking, I don’t understand why all of this negativity is being directed at me.” She realized that the constant scrutiny and criticism were simply because she was alive.

The continuous criticism and attacks on Meghan's character took a toll on her mental health, leading to dark thoughts. She felt ashamed to admit to Harry about her suicidal thoughts, but she knew she had to speak up to prevent it from happening.

After moving to the U.S., Harry and Meghan have become strong advocates for mental health. Through their Archewell Foundation, they are working on implementing safety measures on social media to protect children and prevent tragedies.

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