Meghan says she was 'the most trolled person in the entire world'

The Duchess of Sussex has said she was "the most trolled person in the entire world" on social media.

She made her comments while speaking to students during her Australia tour with the Duke of Sussex. He said in a separate speech that he had felt "lost, betrayed or completely powerless" during his life.

The pair are on the third day of their four-day visit to the country.

At a discussion with young people associated with the Australian mental health organisation Batyr at Melbourne's Swinburne University of Technology on Thursday, Meghan said social media companies were "not incentivised to stop".

"And I can speak to that really personally, which is why I like to listen, because it rings true for me in a very real way," she said. "For now, 10 years, every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked. And I was the most trolled person in the entire world."

The duchess added: "Now, I'm still here. And when I think of all of you and what you're experiencing, I think so much of that is having to realise that you know that industry, that billion-dollar industry, that is completely anchored and predicated on cruelty to get clicks - that's not going to change.

"So you have to be stronger than that."

Harry said that social media had "led to so much loneliness for so many people".

He praised Australia's social media ban for under-16s, saying it was "epic" from a "responsibility and leadership standpoint" because so many countries had followed suit.

But, he said, "it should have never, ever got to a ban" as young people shouldn't be "punished by being banned from something that should be safe to use" in the first place.

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The duke and duchess have long campaigned to raise awareness about the harms of social media.

Talking about the benefits of therapy, Harry told the students: "I waited until I was literally in the fetal position, much older, lying on the kitchen floor. Until I was like, ok maybe this therapy thing - maybe I should try it."

'I felt completely powerless'

In a separate speech at a summit on leadership in the workplace, the duke told attendees - who paid between £535 and £1250 for tickets to the summit or £260 for virtual access to Harry's speech - there was a "lot in the world right now leaving us feeling anxious, stressed, helpless, powerless and completely overwhelmed".

It is understood that Harry was not paid a fee for his speech, and neither was Meghan for her appearance on MasterChef Australia, which she filmed on Wednesday in Melbourne.

He said: "There have been many times when I've felt overwhelmed.

"Times when I've felt lost, betrayed, or completely powerless. Times when the pressure - externally and internally - felt constant. And times when, despite everything going on, I still had to show up pretending everything was ok, so as not to let anyone down.

"For many years I was numb to it, and perhaps that was easier then, but I also didn't yet have the tools to deal with it."

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He also spoke about loss being "disorienting at any age" and grief not disappearing "because we ignore it".

"Experiencing that as a kid while in a goldfish bowl under constant surveillance, yes, that will have its challenges. And without purpose, it can break you," he added.

(c) Sky News 2026: Meghan says she was 'the most trolled person in the entire world'