Prince Harry says ‘Megxit’ is ‘a misogynistic term created by a troll’ to target his wife

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Prince Harry is speaking out against the term "Megxit."

On Tuesday, the Duke of Sussex participated in Wired magazine’s "RE:WIRED" virtual summit in New York City and joined the "Internet Lie Machine" panel discussion alongside Renée DiResta of the Stanford Internet Observatory and Rashad Robinson of Color of Change.

During his appearance, the British royal addressed the term that went viral after he and his wife Meghan Markle announced their decision to step back as senior royals in January 2020.

"The term ‘Megxit’ was or is a misogynistic term that was created by a troll, amplified by world correspondents, and it grew and grew and grew onto mainstream media," said the 37-year-old, as quoted by People magazine. "But it began with a troll."

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As a couple, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in early 2020 they were stepping back as senior members of the British royal family. (AP)

Harry noted that "misinformation is a global humanitarian crisis."

"I felt it personally over the years, and I’m now watching it happen globally affecting everyone, not just America, literally everyone around the world," he explained. "I learned from a very early age that the incentives of publishing are not necessarily aligned with the incentives of the truth."

"I know the story all too well," Harry continued. "I lost my mother to his self-manufactured rabidness, and obviously, I’m determined not to lose the mother to my children to the same thing."

Harry noted that misinformation in the media is not only harmful to everyone, but it needs to be addressed globally.

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Prince Harry said it's crucial to combat misinformation in the media. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen VAX LIVE)

"The scale of misinformation now is terrifying," he said. "No one’s safe from it, no one is protected from it. You can’t hide from it, and we continue to see lives ruined [and] families destroyed in one single household."

"People now more than ever want and need the truth," he stressed. "They want and need trust, and they want and need transparency. We’re here to support them in any way possible."

Markle, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in May 2018 at Windsor Castle. The couple welcomed a son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in 2019.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departures from royal duties began in 2020 over what they described as the British media’s intrusions and racist attitudes towards the former "Suits" star. The family now resides in the coastal city of Montecito, California.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have chosen to reside in California, where the former American actress is from. (Toby Melville/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

In the wake of quitting royal duties, they gave an explosive TV interview to Oprah Winfrey in March, in which the couple described painful comments about how dark Archie’s skin might be before his birth. The duchess, 40, talked about the intense isolation she felt inside the royal family that led her to contemplate suicide.

Buckingham Palace said the allegations of racism made by the couple were "concerning" and would be addressed privately.

On June 4, the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.

The name pays tribute to both Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose family nickname is Lilibet, and his late mother, Princess Diana.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.