Royal staff are reportedly spending hours monitoring Instagram comments from feuding Meghan and Kate fans
It's now been eight months since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry wed in a beautiful ceremony held at St. George's Chapel, Windsor - and over eight years since the nuptials of Kate Middleton and Prince William - and still, people can't get enough of all things British monarchy.
This doesn't mean that Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton don't have to contend with internet trolls, however. Just like most other celebrities, the duchesses have fallen victim to online hate. But luckily for them, Kensington Palace takes it super seriously. Per a new report from Hello Magazine, royal staff have been spending hours and hours each week monitoring the sexist, racist and even violent comments directed at Meghan and Kate.
"The Palace has always monitored comments but it’s a hugely time consuming thing," the publication's source alleged. "They can block certain words, but some of it is quite serious. Over the course of last year, with hundreds of thousands of comments, there were two or three that were violent threats. You can delete and report and block people and the police have options around particular people. It’s something you have to manage because there’s no other way to control it."
Kensington Palace has even purportedly turned to Instagram for help in dealing with the negatively under their public accounts. This, of course, has only intensified after reports of a "rivalry" between the two duchesses.
"It follows a Kate vs Meghan narrative and some of the worst stuff is between Kate fans and Meghan fans," the insider continued. "Arguments about who looks more appropriate, for example, that turn into personal attacks on other users. It’s creating a supercharged atmosphere and everyone can join in, but what are the consequences of this?"
Rumours have been circulating since mid-December that Meghan has been branded "Duchess Difficult" by palace insiders.
This follows reports that Meghan's second personal assistant has left her job. Samantha Cohen, the private secretary to both Meghan and Prince Harry, is due to step down in the spring after purportedly refusing to take on the position full time. This comes after Meghan's initial personal assistant, Melissa Touabti, left the job six months after the royal wedding.
However, royal expert, Victoria Arbiter, told Inside Edition that she didn't believe Cohen's departure had anything to do with a clash of personalities.
"It seems like suddenly in the last few weeks, this reputation is building of Meghan being difficult," Arbiter asserted. "It’s founded from absolutely nothing. It was said from day one that Samantha Cohen was only going to serve as the interim assistant to Harry and Meghan. She was never meant to stay any longer."
This is not the first time that reports have emerged suggesting that royal staff have found the Duchess of Sussex difficult to work with. According to The Mail on Sunday, Kensington Palace has never experienced such "formidable work ethic", detailing that it's not uncommon for Meghan to send six or seven texts in the early morning with ideas and requests regarding how she can define and grow her role within the royal family.