Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, says most of the online trolling she has been hit with came when she was pregnant or had recently given birth

She said: "The bulk of the bullying and the abuse that I was experiencing in social media and online was when I was pregnant - with Archie and with Lili - and with a newborn with each of them."

Meghan appeared in the line-up about online trolling alongside actress Brooke Shields, 58, presenter Katie Couric, 67, and writer and sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen.

Meghan also asked the audience - which included Harry - if they could "wrap (their heads)" around why people "would be so hateful".

She had Archie while she was still a working member of the royal family in May 2019, with Lilibet arriving two years later after she and Harry quit their royal duties and moved to California.

Meghan has previously opened up about her struggles with online hate, saying during her and Harry's famous sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, 70, in 2021, she thought about taking her life partly due to the hate she had endured.

She has also told a gala in New York City: "Look, I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially because I know how much loss he has suffered, but I knew that if I didn't say it, then I would do it. I just didn't want to be alive anymore."

Meghan also used her SXSW panel appearance to pay tribute to Harry for being an "incredible partner".

She added: "I am fortunate, in that amongst the privileges I have in my life, I have an incredible partner.

"My husband is such a hands-on dad and such a supporter of me and our family and that I don't take for granted. It's a real blessing."