11 Times Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Spoke Out About Online Bullying

During Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's appearance on CBS Sunday Morning on the Duchess of Sussex's 43rd birthday on August 4, the mom-of-two spoke about online bullying and her efforts to safeguard their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

“Our kids are young — they're three and five. They're amazing. But all you want to do as parents is protect them," she said. "So as we can see what's happening in the online space, we know that there's a lot of work to be done there, and we're just happy to be able to be a part of change for good."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Archewell Foundation gave $2 million in funding to 26 online safety projects in 2023. One of the recipients was Rethink Citizens.

The project's creator, Trisha Prabhu, said, “It was like young people were empowered and emboldened to say things to me online that they would never say to me in person. And so, my vision was, ‘Can we actually stop the cyberbullying at the source with the cyber bully via a behavioral approach that actually teaches young people to pause and rethink?’”

Prince Harry, at the time, agreed, replying, “This is amazing, this is exactly why we do what we do. This is exactly why the Power Fund was created!”

On Archewell's website, Meghan and Prince Harry praised citizens who helped push for a congressional meeting as they supported anti-cyberbullying campaigns.

"We applaud the bravery and determination of the thousands of parents around the country whose advocacy resulted in this hearing," said the couple. "Over the past few years, we have spent time with many of these families, listening to their heartache and their hopes for the urgent change that is needed in the online space."

During the 2023 Archewell Foundation Parents' Summit in New York, the pair shared their thoughts about digital abuse and trolling after visiting caretakers who received hate comments online.

"This is an issue that transcends division and party lines, as we saw today at the Senate hearing. The best parenting in the world cannot keep children safe from these platforms," they noted. "As one of the fathers shared with us: ‘If love could have saved them, all of our children would still be here.'"

They added, "Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a bi-partisan hearing on online child safety in front of a packed room including dozens of parents whose children have suffered or died due to online harms. The Archewell Foundation has been working with many of these families to provide a support network for parents dealing with grief or who have children managing serious mental health conditions as a result of their exposure to harmful online content."

The Suits alum shared the anxiety she has been feeling about her children's future use of public platforms and social media amid widespread online bullying.

“A year ago we met some of the families, and at the time, it was impossible not to be in tears hearing their stories because it’s just that devastating,” she told the attendees of the Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit. “Being a mom is the most important thing in my entire life — outside, of course, being a wife to this one. But I will say I feel fortunate that our children are at an age, again quite young, so this isn’t in our immediate future, but I also feel frightened at how it’s continuing to change and this will be in front of us."

During the same summit, the royal prince also talked about the dangers of social media and how they turned their experiences into lessons.

“I think for us, for myself and my wife, with kids growing up in a digital age, the priority here is to again turn pain into purpose and provide as much support as well as a spotlight and a platform for these parents to come together, to heal, to grieve and to also collectively focus on solutions so that no other family anywhere has to go through what they’ve been through," said the Duke of Sussex.

In Harry & Meghan, Prince Harry opened up about the harassment public figures — including Princess Diana — faced.

"Back in my mum's days, it was physical harassment. They had cameras in your face, following you, chasing you," he said. "Paparazzi still harass people, but the harassment really exists more online now. Once the photographs are out and the story is then put next to it, then comes the social-media harassment."

After he and Meghan stepped back as senior royals, outlets started referring to their exit as "Megxit." According to Prince Harry, the word "was or is a misogynistic term."

"It was created by a troll, amplified by royal correspondents, and it grew and grew and grew into mainstream media," he added.

The royal prince also highlighted the menace surrounding social media, sharing, "When a lie spreads on social media, it's dangerous. Of course it is. But when that same lie is given credibility by journalists or publishers, it's unethical, and as far as I'm concerned, an abuse of power."

Speaking during her appearance on the "Teenager Therapy" podcast in October 2020, the former actress shared what she felt when virtual harassers started attacking her while she was living in the U.K.

"I'm told that in 2019 I was the most trolled person in the entire world—male or female. Now, eight months of that I wasn't even visible," said Meghan. "I was on maternity leave or with a baby but was able to just be manufactured and churned out."

The Married… with Children alum continued, "That's so big you can't even think of what that feels like, because I don't care if you're 15 or you're 25, if people are saying things about you that aren't true, what that does to your mental and emotional health is so damaging."

In August 2020, Meghan sat down for a discussion with The 19th, where she explained how people would go for "something salacious instead of something truthful" when they wanted to grab the public's attention.

"I think that once we can get back to the place where people are just telling the truth in their reporting and telling it through a compassionate or empathetic lens, it’s going to help bind people as a community in a way that I think at the moment we are feeling so much more of a disconnect in a space where I feel we could be feeling more of a connection," said the Deceit star.