Kensington Palace forced to monitor social media abuse aimed at Kate and Meghan
Kensington Palace is being forced to monitor the worst cases of abuse on social media sites aimed at the Duchesses of Sussex and Cambridge.
You only have to spend a few seconds online to find abusive comments aimed at Meghan and Kate and at those who "support" one woman over the other.
Royal aides say they are concerned about the narrative that’s been created online and elsewhere that the two women are "at war" and they say it’s exacerbating the abusive comments on social media.
The vitriol isn’t just aimed at the Duchess of Sussex or the Duchess of Cambridge.
The abuse - on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and in comment section below royal stories - is aimed at rival camps.
Some claim Meghan is targeted because she is mixed race - or American.
Others claim Kate is "threatened" by the arrival of Meghan into the senior ranks of the Royal Family.
Comparisons have been made with other stories about "warring wives" or female celebrities who don’t get on: Katy Perry versus Taylor Swift, or Jennifer Aniston versus Angelina Jolie.
The desire for a narrative centered on women at war – royal or celebrity – has been fuelled by a drive to sell magazines or to generate clicks to stories online.
After identifying the trend in abusive comments around stores about Meghan and Kate, Hello! Magazine has launched a new campaign called #HelloToKindness.
The publication’s Royal Editor wrote: "It's not acceptable to constantly pit women against each other. It's not acceptable to post racist, sexist or threatening abuse on our platforms. And it's not acceptable to attack other users just because they disagree with you."
Andrea McLean from ITV’s Loose Women is also supporting Hello!’s campaign.
She told the magazine: "Sniping and bitching on social media is so common that our senses are numb to it - unless you’re the person it’s happening to, and you’re the one feeling the pain."
There have been many stories about the two duchesses and how they "don’t get on" even though several royal commentators suggest it’s the brothers, William and Harry, who have grown apart in recent years.
But stories about "women at war" are much more common – and have been for decades.
Royal sources say they have been concerned about the matter for some time - and monitor the worst offending posts.
But they have become increasingly alarmed at how "fan armies" have been mobilised online and how the abusive posts are fuelled by the reporting around the two high profile royal women.