Twitter and TikTok have become a cesspit of Markle hate, writes Mary Madigan. Photo / Getty Images
OPINION
Meghan Markle is more hated than Prince Andrew. Yes, in 2022, a woman being unlikeable still gets more hate than the Duke of York, who recently settled a civil sex abuse case filed against him for a reported $20 million.
Markle's return to the royals, following the Queen's death, makes noise because, much like Prince Andrew, they've both been absent from the public gaze as members of the royal family.
In Markle's case, it is because she's gone full LA, which has included starting her own podcast, and she's also very guilty of going a little too hard on the metaphors. She recently earnestly described her relationship with Prince Harry as being "like salt and pepper".
"We always move together," she said. Cringe.
But while Markle has stepped away from the royals to embrace sunny weather and podcasting, in Prince Andrew's case, he has been away from his royal duties because he settled a civil sex abuse case over allegations that he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was only 17.
Prince Andrew has repeatedly and strongly denied all the claims against him.
That settlement meant Prince Andrew had to give up his public life because he became a disgrace. The Queen stripped her second son of his royal patronages, honorary military titles, and his official use of his HRH style in a bid to distance the institution of the monarchy from the case.
In comparison, Markle's greatest crime is that she left the royal family to seek freedom from the rules of a rigid Monarchy.
In Prince Andrew's case, while he hasn't been convicted of any crime, he paid his alleged victim and hob-nobbed around with Jeffrey Epstein when he was a convicted paedophile and before Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of being a sex trafficker.
So, while you'd think Prince Andrew's actions would cause more outcry, it still seems like Markle is the one we all love to hate. Forget Prince Andrew being accused of sexual abuse. Instead, all the venom seems solely reserved for Markle.
Twitter and TikTok have become a cesspit of Markle hate, from Twitter threads calling her every name under the sun to TikTok videos edited so Markle comes across in the most unflattering way possible.
There's currently a photo making the rounds where people are accusing Markle of smirking at the Queen's coffin.
So, what's happening with Prince Andrew? Well, he isn't getting the Markle treatment. Sure, if you search the internet, you'll find the odd Twitter thread or TikTok calling him out, but it isn't happening on the mass scale that is directed at Markle. He also isn't making headlines or becoming such a loud part of our current cultural conversation and he certainly isn't accused of being in a feud with Kate Middleton.
So, what does all this tell us? Well, it tells us we reserve our most hate and venom for disobedient women. Prince Andrew has not been convicted of any crime, but his involvement in the Epstein scandal has forced him to give a massive payout to one of the victims.
Honestly it seems there is literally nothing a man can do that will ever be seen as worse in the public eye than being an unlikeable woman.
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