The intense public hatred directed at Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, reveals hidden aspects of the British character and reflects societal anxieties, according to a new analysis. While Princess Diana was adored as a 'burning angel,' Meghan is cast as her inverse—a 'photonegative of adoration'—consigned to the role of scapegoat.
In 2019 alone, Meghan appeared in 21,100 negative news stories across 29,000 publications, roughly five times more than Catherine, Princess of Wales, who had 4,300 negative stories. This disproportionate hostility persists eight years after her wedding, despite the couple's relatively banal commercial ventures such as a memoir, a Netflix series, and a wellness seminar in Australia.
Philosopher René Girard's theory of scapegoating offers a framework: societies are held together by shared violence against a victim who absorbs communal tensions. Meghan fits the criteria—an outsider who married into the British establishment, accused of corrupting Prince Harry and breaking royal rules, and facing unanimous negative press and low public opinion.
The hostility coincides with periods of anxiety in British and Australian public life, including Brexit, the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, declining institutional trust, immigration fears, and the monarchy's struggles after Diana and Prince Andrew. Accusations of 'wokeness' further frame her scapegoating within a culture war.
As Girard noted, the scapegoat's expulsion brings relief and unity to the community. Meghan has become the explanation for the monarchy's problems, Harry's family split, and a sense of loss or corruption, absorbing tensions that might otherwise tear society apart.
