Meghan's friend says online trolls peddling false pregnancy rumours are making duchess's life a 'nightmare'

The tech entrepreneur said "twisted" trolls have spread groundless theories that the Duchess of Sussex "faked both pregnancies with prosthetic bellies", known as moonbumps.

Bouzy, who campaigns on online safety issues, argued that these conspiracy theorists have "made destroying her their full-time job". He described the sustained online abuse as a form of cruelty targeting a woman whose "only crime was falling in love with a prince".

The allegations centred around wild speculation that Meghan used fake pregnancy bumps rather than carrying her children, Archie and Lilibet, naturally.

The speculation intensified after Meghan posted a video of herself and Prince Harry dancing in a hospital room while nine months pregnant with Lilibet.

Bouzy said online trolls and conspiracy theorists "weaponised" this lighthearted moment as supposed proof that she was never pregnant at all.

"When Meghan Markle posted a lighthearted video of herself dancing in a hospital room while nine months pregnant, she probably thought she was sharing a relatable moment that other mothers would appreciate," Bouzy wrote. "Instead, within hours, online trolls and conspiracy theorists weaponised it as 'proof' she was never pregnant at all."

The video showed Meghan twerking to Starrkeisha's viral "Baby Mama" song, which she posted with the caption explaining that both her children were a week past their due dates.

Bouzy described the relentless nature of the online harassment in stark terms. "This nightmare is what Meghan's life has become. Every joyful moment gets twisted into ammunition by people who've made destroying her their full-time job," he wrote in a column for Newsweek.

He emphasised the psychological toll of the conspiracy theories on someone preparing for childbirth. "Imagine being nine months pregnant, your body aching, preparing to bring life into the world, and thousands of strangers are dissecting your every photo to 'prove' your baby isn't real," Bouzy said.

The tech entrepreneur particularly criticised the cruelty of targeting someone who had previously shared her miscarriage story to help other women. "Here's a woman who bravely shared her miscarriage story to help other women feel less alone in their grief," he noted, describing the conspiracy theories as representing "a special kind of cruelty".

The "moonbump" conspiracy theory alleged that Meghan used prosthetic bellies to fake both her pregnancies.

These wild theories have persisted despite having no credible foundation, with trolls dissecting photographs and videos to support their groundless speculation about the authenticity of her pregnancies with both Archie and Lilibet.

Professor Sander van der Linden from the University of Cambridge suggested that Meghan's dancing video may have been partly intended to debunk the baseless claims that have lingered in dark corners of the internet for years. However, he warns that this approach could prove counterproductive.

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"Generally, the more you try and refute a conspiracy theory, the more you fuel the idea that there's something to it," van der Linden explained. "It legitimises it - why would you respond unless it's something credible?"

The professor noted that in an age where videos can be AI-manipulated, such content "creates an extra cloud of confusion". He suggested there are exceptions where conspiracy theories can be successfully dismissed "with humour and sarcasm, which is maybe what [Meghan] was attempting to do here".

Van der Linden claimed the moonbump theories originated in 2019 during Meghan's pregnancy with Archie, created by people who "hated" her.