Jason Arday's Treatment Sparks Meghan Markle Comparisons: 'Sound Familiar?'

Meghan Markle started trending within days of Jason Arday's passing as many drew parallels between the way the British press has treated the two. At one point, a social media user called Arday 'the Meghan Markle of the academe'.

Arday, a Cambridge professor, was found dead on Friday, 14 August. Police have not confirmed his cause of death but said it was 'unexpected but is not believed to be suspicious.' The 42-year-old died amidst persistent media scrutiny following allegations he plagiarised parts of his PhD thesis and other journal publications and lied about his achievements and background.

Media Parallels With Meghan Markle

Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece, a member of the House of Lords and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, was among those who found similarities between how the British media treated Arday and Markle. On social media, Hussein-Ece wrote: 'The tragic irony in this Amanda Platell headline and article from just a week ago is an example of the hounding and media witch hunt of vulnerable Jason Arday who's now dead.'

She added: 'This is exactly what Amanda and her right-wing tabloid colleagues have been doing to Meghan for nine years. I'm sure it's no coincidence they are both Black.' Hussein-Ece was referring to Platell's column titled 'Why Jason Arday's Story Reminds Me So Much of Meghan's...' published on 8 August.

In her column, Platell said both Arday and Markle embellished their backgrounds to idealise their journey to success. She criticised what she described as their use of childhood hardships to construct compelling narratives. Arday had said he was mute until 11 and was unable to read and write until he was 18. Markle, meanwhile, was portrayed as romanticising her upbringing as a 'latchkey kid.'

Reactions to Platell's column have fallen predictably along ideological lines, with conservatives agreeing with Platell and critics on the left calling it appalling.

Two days after Arday's death, Platell's outlet published another article critical of Markle, titled: 'Why Meghan Can't Seem To Crack Tinseltown...' The Baroness again responded on social media, writing simply: 'Just stop this.'

'They'll Never Stop'

Many observers linked Arday's treatment to Prince Harry's decision to leave the UK with Meghan. A post on X that has over 12,000 likes stated: 'Prince Harry took Meghan out of the UK because he knew how dangerous the British media could be... They were publishing hundreds of articles about her every week.'

The same post recalled Prince Harry's remarks in the Apple TV documentary 'The Me You Can't See' about the British press: 'They're not going to stop until she dies.'

German university professor Monika Dobberstein compiled nearly three hours of discussion surrounding Markle's treatment in the UK. On social media, she wrote: 'Prof. Aday was hounded to death by the press. 249 articles in 22 days. Meghan has been going through something similar for 10 years. She too was suicidal. Harry & Meghan fled the UK because of this.'

Meanwhile, thousands gathered in London's Trafalgar Square on Monday night to mourn Arday. Speakers focused on what they described as the unfair treatment he endured and the racism behind the attacks.