According to Larissa May, founder of the advocacy group #HalfTheStory, at one point in the afternoon, Meghan opened up about being bullied.
“Meghan talked about being one of the most bullied people in the world,” May told Vanity Fair following the event.
May claimed that the controversial remark came as attendees were doing “an activity where we talked through a bunch of scenarios.”
Meghan Markle addresses the audience during the “Afro women and power” forum, at the Municipal Theatre in Cali, Colombia, on August 18, 2024. (Photo by RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images)“We had girls wave these little emoji signs and talk about how each one of these scenarios would have impacted them emotionally,” she explained.
“We talked about what it really means to grow up in this digital age.”
A Disputed Claim
Meghan has spent years being harshly criticized by the media and harassed by her own family.
However, sources close to the Duchess of Sussex deny that she claimed to be one of the heavily bullied people.
Meghan Markle speaks during the ‘Responsible Digital Future’ forum in Bogota on August 15, 2024. (Photo by RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images)One insider tells The New York Post that Meghan “talked about her experience with online bullying but never claimed she was the most bullied person in the world.”
It’s interesting that Meghan’s team bothered to refute such an innocuous claim.
It might have been a simple matter of ensuring that the duchess was not misquoted in the press. Or the need to set the record straight might have been prompted by concerns about Meghan’s public image.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, speaks onstage at EAN University on August 15, 2024 in Bogota, Colombia. (Photo by Diego Cuevas/Getty Images)A Popularity Crisis
A recent UK poll indicated that Meghan was one of the least popular royals. She only ranked ahead of scandal-plagued Prince Andrew.
There are many possible reasons for this. And Meghan’s ongoing feud with Kate Middleton has certainly influenced how she’s perceived by overseas.
But there’s also a feeling among Brits that Meghan and Prince Harry simply complain too much.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, during a forum about digital responsibility at EAN University during a visit around Colombia on August 15, 2024 in Bogota, Colombia. (Photo by Diego Cuevas/Getty Images)Harry’s memoir remains a source of controversy in the UK. And there’s an overall feeling that Harry and Meghan have not exactly embodied the “never complain, never explain” ethos of the elder royals.
We’re sure the Sussexes would admit that they don’t strive to live up to that motto.
But there’s a difference between openness and a victim mentality. And Meghan’s team might have felt that griping about being bullied during a charity event was not a good look.
