Meghan Markle says she was 'the most trolled person in the world' in 2019

The Duchess of Sussex made the comment on a podcast to mark World Mental Health Day

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, spoke about the damage online trolling can cause to one's emotional health, in a podcast to mark World Mental Health Day. AFP

Meghan Markle has spoken out about the “almost unsurvivable” online abuse she received, claiming she was “the most trolled person in the entire world” in a new podcast.

The Duchess of Sussex appeared on the Teenage Therapy podcast alongside her husband, Prince Harry, for a special episode to mark World Mental Health Day on Saturday, October 10.

The duchess 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.

Adding that her mental health suffered as a result of the trolling. "I don't care if you're 15 or 25, if people are saying things about you that aren't true, what that does to your mental and emotional health is so damaging," she said.

The couple also spoke about the impact social media can have on mental health, and highlighted that with more people spending time online as a result of the coronavirus, it was more important than ever to be aware of the negative effects.

"Hate-following has become a thing, [but] you don't need to do that. Just as much as we worry about, be concerned and take notice of what we put in our bellies as a diet, the same applies for our eyes and our mind, what we're consuming is affecting us,” Harry said. "For me, I made the choice not to read it, not to see it, and to remove myself from that, and to very much focus on the uplifting and the hopeful side."

Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior members of the British royal family, partly due to the negative news stories about them in the UK media. The pair moved to Los Angeles, where they now live with their one-year-old son, Archie.