Prince Harry says Meghan 'was most trolled person in the world' and vows royal couple will 'continue to live their life by truth' in surprise New York appearance
Prince Harry has said his wife Meghan, was 'the most trolled person in the world' during a surprise appearance at a conference in New York.
The Duke of Sussex was speaking at the Nexus Global Summit in the Big Apple this week in front of 350 next-generation philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, artists, and impact leaders, according to Archewell Foundation's website.
According to the organisation's website, the event on Friday brought together more than 350 of the world's 'most influential next-gen philanthropists, impact investors and social innovators' to 'tackle global challenges and shape a better future for 2025 and beyond'.
Speaking during an interview at the event with Rachel Gerrol, co-founder and CEO of NEXUS Global, Harry spoke about the thinking behind the setting up of their foundation in fostering community and combating social isolation, both online and offline.
He explained that they wanted to help address an issue by tackling the root cause of it, and came across the online world and digital space.
He said: 'It wasn't something that was sexy, it wasn't something that we were necessarily passionate about, but it became very clear to us very quickly, speaking to a lot of experts, that for all the work we are collectively doing, and all the progress we are achieving - if the digital world is not done responsibly, it's going to turn back that progress. And we can see that with climate change.'
He added: 'We started to meet a lot of parents who had lost their kids to social media - the majority through suicide - and that's when it really started to make sense to us.
'One of the reasons why the digital world was so important to us is because my wife, in 2018, was the most trolled person in the world. There was a lived experience, but at no point did we suddenly think "OK, well, let's take this industry on".'
Prince Harry at Nexus Global Summit NYC.
The Duke speaks about his and his wife's vision for their foundation Archewell and their initiative 'The Parents' Network'.
'My wife said to said to me, if you live your life by truth, it's the most efficient way to live' #PrinceHarry pic.twitter.com/Nsi9NjTEY2
— ChrisBaronSmith (@ChrisBaronSmit1) June 27, 2025
He told the crowd: 'As the world gets harder, as people's lives become harder, compassion can shrink.
'The thing that gives me the most hope is the grassroots approach.
'Many of you here today are connected and involved with so many community solutions, because it's what energises all of you, and that service part is really what energises me as well.'
In his address, the Duke also urged those in attendance to use their platforms to serve the wider community, telling the crowd: 'Whatever you put out there, you get back.'
He also vowed that both he and wife will 'live by the truth'.
Harry met with the Nexus Australian delegation, made up of people and organisations working to address mental health and social media safety, and a Brazilian delegation of 12 young people striving to tackle inequality through education and volunteerism.
The summit runs until today, with other featured speakers ranging from journalists to activists and chief executives.
This is not the first time the couple have made this claim, saying how the abuse was 'almost unsurvivable' when she featured in a podcast alongside her husband on the Teenage Therapy podcast in 2020.
She said she was told that 'in 2019, I was the most trolled person in the entire world - male or female'.
'[For] eight months of that, I wasn't even visible, I was on maternity leave with the baby - but what was able to be manufactured and churned out, it's almost unsurvivable, it's so big you can't even think what that feels like,' she said.
The pair talked about their experiences of loss and grief, with Harry stating that 'every single one of us' should be talking about our mental health.
Meghan said her mental health suffered due to the trolling she was targeted with.
This comes after a friend claimed the Duchess's life is being made a 'nightmare' by conspiracy theorists spouting baseless claims that she 'faked both pregnancies with prosthetic bellies' known as moonbumps, a friend claimed today.
Christopher Bouzy, who appeared on the Sussexes' 2022 Netflix documentary to support them, says 'twisted' trolls have 'made destroying her their full-time job'.
The tech entrepreneur has campaigned on online safety and railed against abuse on social media and says Meghan's 'only crime was falling in love with a prince'.
But he has previously been accused of being a troll himself, writing once that Prince William 'looks like a balding Muppet'.
He also claimed that the Prince and Princess of Wales were ageing badly and 'look like Harry's aunt and uncle'.
Mr Bouzy has now turned on social media conspiracy theorists who weaponised Meghan and Harry's twerking hospital video to spread wild and groundless speculation that she wasn't pregnant at all and was wearing a 'moonbump '.
He wrote: 'When Meghan Markle posted a lighthearted video of herself dancing in a hospital room while nine months pregnant, she probably thought she was sharing a relatable moment that other mothers would appreciate.
'Instead, within hours, online trolls and conspiracy theorists weaponized it as "proof" she was never pregnant at all'.
'This nightmare is what Meghan's life has become. Every joyful moment gets twisted into ammunition by people who've made destroying her their full-time job.
'And we need to talk about what this sustained cruelty has done to a woman whose only crime was falling in love with a prince'.
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