Freelance reporter Antonia Hoyle has described the verbal abuse she received from fans of Meghan Markle as an "onslaught" she was "totally unprepared for", leaving her feeling "shame and shock".
Hoyle wrote a piece in The i Paper about the Duchess of Sussex's new rural lifestyle in Britain, after Meghan posted a video reel of deer running, splashing in muddy puddles, and an open fire. Hoyle shared her own experiences of country living as "chaotic" and "mud-splattered", and good-naturedly compared the two.
The piece was not critical or controversial, but it was not well-received by Meghan's fans online, who subjected Hoyle to verbal abuse, including being called "appalling" and "spiteful". Some people called her "bitch, bitch, bitch!" on her Instagram.
An onslaught of abuse
Writing in The i Paper about the experience, Hoyle said: "It was an onslaught of abuse I’d been totally unprepared for. I felt shame and shock, but I was also curious: why were the Duchess of Sussex’s supporters so angry with me? And was any of it really warranted?
"I’m not a royal reporter or a natural provocateur and nor do I really have a strong view on Meghan. She’d simply provided me with a reason to write what I intended as a light-hearted riposte to clichés about rural living, as I did about David Beckham last year when he went full flat-cap-vegetable-growing-beekeeper.
"Calling his idealistic vision into question had raised no reader response stronger than, 'Perhaps, Antonia, you are just crap at gardening, dear.' So then being asked, 'Does bitch face come naturally to you?' after this one felt wildly unexpected."
Other incidents of fan abuse
Hoyle's experience comes after Meghan's fans have also been abusive online to other people, including Anglican priest and London university chaplain Reverend Daniel French. He received online hate after he posted a picture of Meghan unveiling her £112 luxury chocolate advent calendar for her lifestyle brand As Ever on X, and wrote: "For £5.99 you can pre-order a Christian Advent Calendar with Fairtrade chocolate from the Meaningful Chocolate Company. A donation is made to The Leprosy Mission."
Meghan's fans were angry that he had compared this Advent calendar to Meghan's, with some people calling him horrific names online. Meghan has not personally commented on the words and actions of some of her fans online.
Meghan's social media approach
Apart from having an Instagram account, it is believed the duchess does not use other social media platforms. On Instagram, she has almost five million followers. While she posts frequently, she always has the comment section muted.
Speaking at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit last year, the duchess said: "There are certain things I’ve done, just for my own self-preservation, but also that I’ve applied to the brand, and for the people who are incredibly supportive."
"So, not just protecting myself or the people who work with me, but also the supporters, so I don’t have the comments section on, that’s a choice."
