Meghan Markle was a keynote speaker on a panel for the SXSW Conference, which will take place in Austin, Texas, from now through March 16.
Katie Couric, Brooke Shields, and Nancy Wyuen were the other ladies who spoke on the panel. Errin Hains moderated the discussions.
Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, took top billing in the advertisements for the conference.
Prince Harry, her husband, with whom Meghan shares two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, was in attendance during Meghan’s speech.
Meghan took the time to speak about issues that are dear to her, which included the “importance of diverse representation to portrayals of motherhood in film and entertainment,” reports the BBC.
Meghan also chose to talk about the bullying and abuse she suffered from online sources during her pregnancies.
Meghan spoke about the abuse and bullying she endured
People reported that Errin Haines asked Meghan a question during the Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen discussion on the Opening Day Panel.
The question was, “Social media really has become the place for women and girls to be scrutinized, objectified, bullied…How have you been able to manage the seemingly endless toxicity that comes at you?”
Meghan spoke eloquently about the distance she kept from social media for her well-being and elaborated about the time she was hurt, “the bulk of the bullying and abuse that I was experiencing on social media and online was when I was pregnant with Archie and Lili, and with a newborn with each of them.”
The BBC news reports that Harry was in the front row while Meghan spoke about the “toxicity” that happens on social media from women to women. Meghan said she could not believe we had “forgotten our humanity.”
This constant bullying during her pregnancy with Archie was undoubtedly part of why Harry and Meghan stepped back from their working royal lives in 2020.
Meghan was herself accused of being a bully
When Harry and Meghan still lived in London, Meghan was on the other end of bullying accusations.
As reported by Monsters and Critics, Meghan was accused of bullying her staff and royal aides.
When Meghan was accused of having a harsh demeanor and causing at least two aides to leave their jobs, her spokesperson continued to deny the accusations.
As recently as last year, Prince William honored Jason Knauf, one of her accusers. According to Business Insider, he was given the Royal Victorian Order at an investiture ceremony last May.
Jason filed a complaint against Meghan to HR in October of 2018, and the Times reported that palace officials had “buried” the findings on Meghan’s bullying of her staff.