Meghan avoids Twitter so she doesn’t get 'muddled' by the ‘noise’
The Duchess of Sussex has revealed she does not read newspapers or engage with Twitter, a move she believes helps her focus on the causes she supports.
Meghan's admission came when she joined a star-studded panel of feminists and national figures to mark International Women's Day, and described the Duke of Sussex as part of the conversation on gender equality.
The Duchess sat alongside a panel including singer Annie Lennox and former prime minister of Australia Julia Gillard to debate a range of issues affecting today's women.
Speaking as part of a panel to commemorate International Women's Day, the former actress said: "I don't read anything, it's much safer that way, but equally that's just my own personal preference, because I think positive or negative, it can all sort of just feel like noise to a certain extent these days."
She continued that she found this "noise" made her feel "muddled" and took her attention away from focusing "on the real cause".
The Duchess told the audience of around 140 students and activists, including broadcasters Konnie Huq and Moira Stuart and digital entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox: "It's our responsibility to make a choice on what we click on, we make a choice of what we read, we make a choice of what we engage in, that's our personal decision to not be there for negativity, to be more positive and action based.
"And for me that's a tricky one because I'm not part of any of that."
Meghan also addressed the topic of feminism, saying that she did not think making it "trendy" made "any sense to me personally, right?
"This is something that is going to be part of the conversation forever."
In what might be taken as a reference to her relationship with Harry, who has spoken in the past about having Meghan working by his side, the Duchess said during the debate: "This is really about us working together, that's what gender equality means to me.
"And having been part of that conversation you say 'there's nothing threatening about a woman coming up to the same level, it's our safety in numbers, this is our power and our strength as a team' - and that's gender neutral if you really think about it."
The 37-year-old made the audience laugh when she added: "I think that men are part of the conversation - my husband certainly is."
Meghan's announcement that she does not use Twitter or read newspapers, comes in the same week the Royal household revealed it would block social media trolls who target messages towards the royal family.
Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace published new guidelines on Monday for members of the public interacting with them on social media.
The move followed the story that Kensington Palace staff spend hours moderating online abuse aimed at Kate and Meghan.
Meghan's admission also means that she will not have seen coverage of her first year as a Royal, which has been dominated by articles about a supposed spat between herself and the Duchess of Cambridge.
Meghan was earlier named vice-president of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, which staged the event at King's College London, and will now help highlight the body's work with young people across the Commonwealth, particularly supporting women and girls.
When asked by the chairwoman "how's the bump treating you?", the heavily pregnant duchess replied: "Very well".
She said she had been watching a "documentary about feminism on Netflix and one of the things they said during pregnancy was 'I feel the embryonic kicking of feminism'."
She told the audience: "I loved that - boy or girl, whatever it is, we hope that's the case."
The Duchess also spoke about taking in equality in the world. Speaking on the subject she said: "If there’s a justice and a lack of inequality someone needs to say something - and why not you?"
As she enters the final stages of her pregnancy, the Duchess said she will continue to celebrate women in the world, but might consider putting her feet up as a "deserved treat," ahead of giving birth.