NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • Generate wealth weekly
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Queen Elizabeth death: Why Meghan Markle is more vilified than Prince Andrew

Mary Madigan
news.com.au·
17 Sep, 2022 09:21 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Twitter and TikTok have become a cesspit of Markle hate, writes Mary Madigan. Photo / Getty Images

Twitter and TikTok have become a cesspit of Markle hate, writes Mary Madigan. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION

Meghan Markle is more hated than Prince Andrew. Yes, in 2022, a woman being unlikeable still gets more hate than the Duke of York, who recently settled a civil sex abuse case filed against him for a reported $20 million.

Markle's return to the royals, following the Queen's death, makes noise because, much like Prince Andrew, they've both been absent from the public gaze as members of the royal family.

In comparison to Prince Andrew's alleged sexual assault crime, Markle's greatest crime is that she left the royal family to seek freedom from the rules of a rigid Monarchy. Photo / Getty Images
In comparison to Prince Andrew's alleged sexual assault crime, Markle's greatest crime is that she left the royal family to seek freedom from the rules of a rigid Monarchy. Photo / Getty Images
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In Markle's case, it is because she's gone full LA, which has included starting her own podcast, and she's also very guilty of going a little too hard on the metaphors. She recently earnestly described her relationship with Prince Harry as being "like salt and pepper".

"We always move together," she said. Cringe.

But while Markle has stepped away from the royals to embrace sunny weather and podcasting, in Prince Andrew's case, he has been away from his royal duties because he settled a civil sex abuse case over allegations that he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was only 17.

Prince Andrew has repeatedly and strongly denied all the claims against him.

That settlement meant Prince Andrew had to give up his public life because he became a disgrace. The Queen stripped her second son of his royal patronages, honorary military titles, and his official use of his HRH style in a bid to distance the institution of the monarchy from the case.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In comparison, Markle's greatest crime is that she left the royal family to seek freedom from the rules of a rigid Monarchy.

While you'd think Prince Andrew's actions would cause more outcry, it still seems like Markle is the one we all love to hate. Photo / Getty Images
While you'd think Prince Andrew's actions would cause more outcry, it still seems like Markle is the one we all love to hate. Photo / Getty Images

In Prince Andrew's case, while he hasn't been convicted of any crime, he paid his alleged victim and hob-nobbed around with Jeffrey Epstein when he was a convicted paedophile and before Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of being a sex trafficker.

So, while you'd think Prince Andrew's actions would cause more outcry, it still seems like Markle is the one we all love to hate. Forget Prince Andrew being accused of sexual abuse. Instead, all the venom seems solely reserved for Markle.

Twitter and TikTok have become a cesspit of Markle hate, from Twitter threads calling her every name under the sun to TikTok videos edited so Markle comes across in the most unflattering way possible.

There's currently a photo making the rounds where people are accusing Markle of smirking at the Queen's coffin.

Here she is, Meghan Markle, the embarrassment of America, smirking while staring at Her Majesty's coffin.

Meghan's official number is 667 - She is beyond evil https://t.co/GIOVPkiAJe

— 🕯️Quean Pinocchio Markle of Overseas🕯️ (@MMschadenfreude) September 14, 2022

So, what's happening with Prince Andrew? Well, he isn't getting the Markle treatment. Sure, if you search the internet, you'll find the odd Twitter thread or TikTok calling him out, but it isn't happening on the mass scale that is directed at Markle. He also isn't making headlines or becoming such a loud part of our current cultural conversation and he certainly isn't accused of being in a feud with Kate Middleton.

So, what does all this tell us? Well, it tells us we reserve our most hate and venom for disobedient women. Prince Andrew has not been convicted of any crime, but his involvement in the Epstein scandal has forced him to give a massive payout to one of the victims.

Honestly it seems there is literally nothing a man can do that will ever be seen as worse in the public eye than being an unlikeable woman.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Health scare leads mum to world record barefoot run - on Lego bricks

16 Sep 10:25 PM
New Zealand

Hundreds gather in Whangārei to celebrate Māori Language Week

Watch
16 Sep 08:45 PM
Lifestyle

Royal family attend Duchess of Kent's funeral

Watch
16 Sep 08:22 PM

Sponsored

Sponsored: Invite nature in - but not winter

14 Sep 06:03 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Health scare leads mum to world record barefoot run - on Lego bricks
Lifestyle

Health scare leads mum to world record barefoot run - on Lego bricks

The 44-year-old took on the challenge after being diagnosed with a blood disorder.

16 Sep 10:25 PM
Hundreds gather in Whangārei to celebrate Māori Language Week
New Zealand

Hundreds gather in Whangārei to celebrate Māori Language Week

Watch
16 Sep 08:45 PM
Royal family attend Duchess of Kent's funeral
Lifestyle

Royal family attend Duchess of Kent's funeral

Watch
16 Sep 08:22 PM


Sponsored: Invite nature in - but not winter
Sponsored

Sponsored: Invite nature in - but not winter

14 Sep 06:03 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP