Some members of the royal family, particularly the younger generation of princes and princesses, are easily slotted into that victim role. They are rich, famous, photogenic, and beloved by many for their roles in public life.
The Duchess of Cambridge, in particular, is not only glamorous and widely liked in Britain (helped by positive tabloid coverage), but also because she has kept her life more private than many others. It quickly became the focus of conspiracy theories. other royals. “The thing about Kate is her calmness and her thoughtfulness,” Ariane Chernok, a historian at Boston University who studies the British monarchy, told me. “Kate was a much more private person than Princess Diana,” she said.
Recent conspiracy theories have a built-in villain. For example, speculation corners on the internet have framed William as the villain Charles once played in the Princess Diana coverage.
And the royal family as an institution, by its very nature, is particularly vulnerable to fault-finding and ridicule. After all, the royal family is a relic of centuries of constitutional law, built on bizarre rituals, funded by British taxpayers, and considered by many to be an anachronism. modern parliamentary democracy. At its core, there is a contradiction. A family is a human family bound by relationships and love, but it is also what Prince Philip calls a “company,'' an institution that relentlessly pursues its own interests, even at the expense of the people. The royal family itself.
Importantly, there was an existing online subculture dedicated to speculation about systemic corruption in the royal family and supposed mistreatment of members of the royal family. Meghan's supporters, often referred to as the “Sussex Team,” have long scrutinized royal press coverage for evidence of wrongdoing. The community became a source of conspiracy theories that were amplified by social media algorithms and even Russia-related disinformation operations. The scale of online speculation then becomes the subject of mainstream media coverage, adding fuel to the fire, a feedback loop that is said to be common.
