Prince Harry shared his thoughts on the term "Megxit," which came into use after Meghan Markle and her husband announced (opens in new tab) that they will step down as senior royals in January 2020.

"People may or may not know this, but the word megxit is a misogynistic term that was coined by trolls, amplified by royal correspondents, and became bigger and bigger and became mainstream media. But it started with trolls," the Duke of Sussex said as part of RE:WIRED 2021 (open in new tab) online summit (via the Guardian (open in new tab)).

The Duke shared his views at the "Internet Lie Machine" panel, speaking out about the rampant misinformation not only online, but also in the media, particularly in the British tabloids (open in new tab).

"Disinformation is a global humanitarian crisis. It affects literally everyone in the world, not just the United States."

But even as major platforms like Facebook and Twitter accelerate the spread of misinformation (open in new tab), for Prince Harry, the problem has been around for a long time.He said, "This issue didn't originate with social media, and you don't have to be online to be affected by it. I learned at an early age that the incentives to publish don't necessarily coincide with the incentives to be truthful."

For the Duke, misinformation is extremely personal, and he has seen people close to him deeply hurt by rumors created by the Internet and media. He said, "In my experience, the British press before social media was, sadly, more profit-driven and confused news with entertainment. 'And they have succeeded in turning factual news into opinion-based gossip with devastating consequences for the country. I lost my mother to this self-made fanaticism, and I am determined not to lose the mother of my children to the same thing.