What made Megan Markle so controversial in America?
Some British media woke up this Thursday with a big headline on their covers: MEGXIT.
Megxit became a social media trend following the surprising announcement by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan about their plans to step away from their duties as part of the British royal family.
The couple announced on Wednesday their intention to "work towards being financially independent" and to live between the UK and North America.
In a clear nod to the term "Brexit", as the UK's exit process from the European Union is known, the label "Megxit" may seem like a fun and clever pun.
However, it also reflects a predisposition, not always well-intentioned, to hold Meghan Markle responsible for a decision that the protagonists themselves stressed was made as a couple.
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"What Meghan wants"
Among the voices of those who blame Meghan for a decision that, they believe, is detrimental to the British Royal House, the journalist Piers Morgan stands out, who soon published the following tweet:
"What Meghan wants, Meghan gets."
Morgan redoubled his criticism in an article published on the Mail Online site in which he made clear his outrage from the opening sentence: "Who the hell do they think they are?"
The British journalist goes on to point directly to Meghan Markle as responsible for the current situation and does not skimp on words to express her dislike of the American former actress.
"We were friends for a while, or at least I thought we were," Morgan writes.
"Of course she told the world we were in tweets posted (now deleted) before most people in the UK had heard of her.
"But from the moment he met Prince Harry, I was thrown away faster than a piece of gum stuck to the soles of his Louboutin heels.
"For a while I continued to support her in public, refusing to believe that someone who seemed so nice and normal could be so calculating and ruthless," she continues.
The journalist's words exude such resentment and contempt that numerous readers reproached her for her lack of equanimity and her obvious resentment.
The stupor at the attacks against Markle can be summarized in this tweet:
"I didn't expect Meghan Markle to replace Iran as the West's greatest villain within 24 hours."
A "manipulated" prince
Another of the controversial posts against Meghan Markle has been a cartoon.
Shared by the Twitter account of the Yes to Brexit campaign, Leave.EU, the drawing shows a woman brandishing a whip and plunging her high-heeled shoe into the back of a man on all fours.
Each of the figures has the overlapping heads of Meghan and Harry.
The image is accompanied by a particularly offensive phrase in which Prince Harry is crossed out as cowardly.
In networks it did not take long to rain criticism. User @graham_snelson commented: "Leave.EU continues to fall to ever lower levels."
User 'DrBill' wrote: "Even for Leave.EU, this is pretty poor. Ignorance and prejudice masquerading as 'harmless rhetoric' to provoke liberals. I imagine this sort of thing appeals to its niche."
Even Brexit supporters reacted in horror to Leave.EU's tweet.
To which Connor Argyle replied: "I voted for Brexit and I am totally disgusted by it, it gives yes voters a bad name."
From praise to attack
Criticism against Meghan Markle has thus been countered by voices coming out in her defense, but in any case, the fury of some comments confirms how the tone of the press - particularly the tabloid - has changed towards Prince Harry's wife.
As BBC journalist Andrey Kozenko wrote a few months ago, "The British tabloids received Meghan two years ago with great sympathy, but now they attack her at all times."
"They judge her on everything from her expensive home repairs, to her appearance, behavior at social events or her public statements."
The figure of Yoko Ono
That continued focus on Meghan, a divorcee, a self-professed feminist and of African-American descent, has led some to see a racist and misogynistic bias in the treatment of the Duchess.
"They speak of their feminine wiles as if entangled in dark arts and extravagant love spells," writes journalist Katie Byrne in the Irish Independent newspaper.
"This is how Yoko Ono was portrayed when the Beatles broke. At the heart of this issue is female power. The stronger the woman, the more suspicious she seems," he says.
Angelina Jolie was burned at the stake when Brad Pitt's divorce was announced. The actor later admitted that he had problems with alcohol and marijuana that affected his marriage, but still the press focused on the supposed controlling nature of the actress and some tabloids even suggested that he did witchcraft to get Pitt back, "Byrne continues.
The journalist recalls how some conspiracy theorists claimed that Courtney Love orchestrated the death of her husband Kurt Cobain and cites other examples where women are held accountable for actions taken by men.
"Women who stand by their men, and not behind, seem to be synonymous with trouble, and that is why the witch hunt against Meghan Markle is as infuriating as it is inevitable," concludes Byrne.
A decision as a couple
For the BBC correspondent for Royal Affairs Jonny Dymond, the fact that Meghan is held responsible for the latest decision of the dukes is not surprising, but it is unfair.
"Harry's path in the royal family has always been difficult," says Dymond.
"There is the long shadow of her mother's early death, the media spotlight on her youthful mistakes, and the extraordinary interest that her romantic relationships and then her marriage generated.
"Unlike her older brother, Prince William, Harry hasn't gotten used to the media and still looks visibly uncomfortable on camera. And she's obviously and clearly bored with the ceremonial aspect of her job.
"In short, she has been wanting to leave for a long time. And, together with the woman she loves, she now believes that she has found the way," says the correspondent.
This past October, Meghan and Harry participated in an ITV documentary in which they both expressed their difficulties in dealing with constant media scrutiny.
In that context, it is not surprising to conclude that one of the reasons for wanting to distance herself from her royal duties is actually a desire to get away from the spotlight.
