They say any press is good press, but in the case of the royals, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
So much so, that Sarah Ferguson has broken her silence on the swirling reports and rumours surrounding two prominent royals – Duchesses Kate and Meghan.
In an open letter to Hello!, the former wife of Prince Andrew has spoken out against the idea of pitting women against each other – and she’s used one very poignant example to prove why it isn’t right.
Sarah has expressed her fear for young people with the rise in social media. (Image: Getty)
Sarah’s open letter comes after months of speculation and rumours that Meghan and Kate are at loggerheads with each other – and Ferguson has clearly had enough.
In her letter, Sarah writes: “Women, in particular, are constantly pitted against and compared with each other in a way that reminds me of how people tried to portray Diana and me all the time as rivals, which is something neither of us ever really felt.”
She also weighed in on social media users who say damaging and abusive things online.
“People feel licensed to say things online that they would never dream of saying to someone’s face, and that encourages others to pile in.
“It’s so ubiquitous that we’ve all become numb to what’s going on,” she wrote.
“Bullying, sniping, bitching, even the most appalling sexism, racism and homophobia are commonplace… I believe that it’s time to take a stand.”
WATCH: Sarah Ferguson says Princess Diana would be so proud of Prince William and Prince Harry. Story continues below…
When Sarah and Diana were younger, similar claims of feuds and fights between the two were common place – but that was before the time of social media.
Now, she says new platforms like Twitter and Instagram “terrify” her.
“I rarely if ever go ‘below the line’ on social media or news websites and read people’s comments,” she wrote.
“I know that a lot say nice things, but there’s a large minority who seem to think that all the normal rules of society don’t apply to the internet.”
She explained that this in turn can impact mental health.
“There is good evidence that this online culture is having a detrimental impact on people’s mental health, particularly vulnerable young people.”
Duchess Kate and Duchess Meghan were all smiles on Christmas Day 2018, in the midst of the swirling rumours there was a rift between the pair. (Image: Getty)
Sarah’s poignant message was written in support of Hello!‘s #HelloToKindness campaign, which came about when a report revealed that Duchesses Catherine and Meghan are at the hand of violent threats posted on social media.
While neither Kate nor Meghan have their own private social media accounts, many of their engagements and milestone celebrations are documented by Kensington Palace via official royal accounts.
Thousands of comments have been posted by fans on the official accounts for many years, but in recent months, things have become more sinister.
“It follows a Kate vs Meghan narrative and some of the worst stuff is between Kate fans and Meghan fans,” a source told Hello!.
“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?”
