The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would “benefit” from reading some of the comments and reports about them, a psychologist said. Meghan had previously revealed she doesn’t “read anything” written online about her to remain “focused” on the real causes. 

But having a communication team able to filter some good and negative comments would give Meghan and Harry a good perception of how the public see them and whether the rest of the world is interest about the causes they are pursuing.

Tijana Jokic, psychologist at Seventy Thirty matchmaking agency, told Express.co.uk: “Their decision to not read comments about them is justified as the relevance of online comments can be questionable.

“However, not all criticism is bad.

“Constructive criticism is the process of coming up with well-reasoned opinions which involve both positive and negative comments. 

“It should be expressed in a friendly manner and it should benefit the person that is being criticised.

“Comments from public can provide access and a voice of people which are crucial when it comes to establishing optimal life standards.

“With the great power the Duke and Duchess have comes great responsibility, so it would be beneficial if information could be filtered and passed on to them. 

“Taking into account well-reasoned, constructive criticism can cause no harm.”

However, Ms Jokic conceded Meghan was right when she said it was “safer” to stay away from at least certain comments.

Anonymous articles and comments often “dehumanise” Meghan and Harry and turn particularly vicious.

These are comments the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are right not to read, Ms Jokic said.

She continued: “Comments sections on websites are sometimes the darkest places on the Internet, especially the anonymous ones.

“Anonymity often leads to a psychological phenomenon called online disinhibition effect which occurs when established social norms cease to exist in online environments.

“In turn, users tend to be more aggressive, use rude language or even threaten. 

“Unlike face-to-face, we do not see the immediate effect of our words on the other person and as such, we dehumanise them.

“Just like us, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are human beings and they can be emotionally affected by the malevolent comments.”

Among the websites hosting a series of racist posts and abusive comments again Meghan and Harry there is Gab.com, whose moderators in the past allowed messages such as “the only good royal is a dead royal” to be published.

The string of violent messages and abuses against Meghan and Harry – but also other members of the Royal Family, including Kate, Duchess of Cambridge – forced Kensington Palace to issue guidelines social media users need to follow if they want to message the royals. 

News of Meghan’s refusal of reading online comment came in March, when she attended a panel at King’s College to mark Women’s International Day.

She said: “I don’t read anything, it’s much safer that way.

“But equally that’s just my own personal preference because I think, positive or negative, it can all sort of just feel like noise to a certain extent these days, as opposed to getting muddled with that to focus on the real cause.”      

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