Vicious insults and death threats as the Duchesses’ super-fans clash online
FROM the outside at least, there is little to choose between them. Both women are undeniably elegant with – though the accents might differ – the same careful use of words and a considered, polished manner.
Delve into the murky world of their internet super-fans, however, and it’s a startlingly different picture.
Here, there are two distinct and opposing tribes – those who support Kate, and those who back Meghan – and never has their rivalry been more intense, or the insults more vicious.
The news that Harry and Meghan plan to step down as senior Royals has caused widespread rejoicing among Kate’s online champions – who have been campaigning for ‘Megxit’ for some time. Meghan fans, meanwhile, are redoubling their efforts to flood the internet with positive praise for their idol, while portraying Kate as a ‘creepy’ goody two shoes.
How times have changed. Once, being a Royal super-fan meant building an enviable collection of commemorative plates, or perhaps – at its extreme – camping out overnight before any wedding and christening, as long as it involved a member of the House of Windsor.
But the new online super-fans, known as ‘stans’, are far more rancorous, emboldened not just by
‘I’d never have expected this sort of behaviour’
anonymity but by the sheer volume of people who share their views.
To be Royal super-fan now means not just wholehearted devotion to a single Duchess, but a vehement rejection of the other. Put simply, if you love Meghan, you must hate Kate – and vice versa.
The result is a vicious keyboard war on blogs and social media, with harmless banter escalating behind the scenes into cyberbullying, harassment and even death threats.
One woman who has run fan sites dedicated to both women told The Mail on Sunday she was too frightened to reveal her real name.
‘The potential backlash and cyberbullying that I would endure would be overwhelming,’ she said.
‘I would never have expected this behaviour from supporters of the Duchesses. I can say with absolute confidence that both Meghan and Kate would be horrified to learn that women are being cyberbullied, to the point that they are deleting accounts, discontinuing websites, and even seeking care for their mental health, in the name of “support” for a favoured Royal.’
The word ‘stan’ comes from a 20-year-old chart hit by US rapper Eminem featuring an unhinged fan. It can be used to describe any fanatical celebrity obsessive, but those who follow the Royals seem particularly malicious.
Both Meghan and Kate’s particular fanbases have spiteful nicknames for the other, for example.
The Sussex Squad, the name adopted by supporters of Meghan, dub Kate ‘Duchess Do Little’, while Meghan is referred to as ‘Me-Again Sparkle’ and ‘Duchess Dumb-a**e’ by her rivals in the opposing camp, some of whom describe themselves as the ‘Cambridge Cult’.
Wild conspiracy theories are common, including the notion among members of the Cambridge Cult – also known as ‘Cambs’ – that Meghan faked her pregnancy and used a surrogate to have Archie.
One wrote under a picture of a heavily pregnant Meghan: ‘This obviously isn’t normal. Why would her bump look lumpy? It’s another case of Meghan’s magic bump. She’s clearly got a surrogate.’ Most
Cambs have, admittedly, wanted Meghan out of the Royal Family since her relationship with Prince Harry emerged three years ago.
On one blog, set up to criticise Meghan, a Kate admirer asks sarcastically: ‘Why is Meghan ditching her duchess role? Because she wants to be the global Queen of Woke.’
The website brooks no argument or countervailing views. ‘Verbal attacks on Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, will result in immediate block by me,’ the house rules state. ‘The QUEEN is also off limits as are the York girls.’
On the other side, there is equal vehemence. One member of The
Sussex Squad wrote: ‘Kate Middleton is a creepy woman for wearing everything Diana used to wear, trying to win sympathy by using her dead mother-in-law – scary. Zero personality. Duchess Do Little envies Meghan.’
Those who back Kate have treated the news of Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back from Royal duties as a gross act of betrayal. ‘SPOILT BRATS,’ one shrieked.
Unsurprisingly, it is seen differently by Meghan’s devotees. They view the decision as empowering, an Independence Day for the couple – a sign, perhaps, of The Sussex Squad’s more transatlantic community. ‘It’s a huge decision,’ says one fan, addressing the couple. ‘But you are both strong enough to follow your dreams and I admire your choice.’
Bella, 20, from Liverpool, who runs Instagram accounts dedicated to both Royal women, says drawing comparisons ‘comes with the territory’. ‘Her Majesty and Princess Margaret were always compared, as were Fergie and Diana and even Pippa and Kate,’ she said.
‘The fact that Kate and Meghan are both beautiful, intelligent women doesn’t help, as people always want to criticise everything they do and say. It’s foolish to compare them because they’re completely different and independent people. I think they’re both inspirational in their own ways.’
That may be so. But with superfans like these, surely everyone can agree on one thing – neither Kate nor Meghan needs enemies.