Prince William stood up for England's Black soccer players on the receiving end of racist comments—but some fans noted what they perceived as hypocrisy on his end.
Following the Euro final game on Sunday, July 11, in which England lost 3-2 against Italy, William shared a message on Twitter.
The royal wrote, "I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night's match. It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour."
He added, "It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable."
However, fans on the social media site were not receptive to William's message for one specific reason: Meghan Markle.
In March, the former duchess came forward in an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry. During the interview, Meghan spoke at length about the alleged racism she endured from the royal family, as well as the British tabloids.
Now many people are taking issue with William's new message on Twitter, as they wonder why he's taking a stance now, rather than at the peak of Meghan's alleged suffering.
"Whilst I appreciate Prince William speaking out about racist comments towards football players, where was this support when Meghan Markle was being bullied, even contemplating ending her life due to the comments," one fan asked on their account.
Another fan weighed in, "The black community would have welcomed this statement from William had he condemned racism against Meghan as he's the future king and also released his transformation report and condemned racism in the UK. He loves the football players but not their people and heritage."
"This shows that it wouldn't have been hard for William & Kate to make a public statement condoning the blatant racism against Meghan Markle," a different user speculated. "Perhaps they encouraged it in a fit of jealousy over her wild popularity."
One of England's players, Marcus Rashford, addressed the hostile climate in a lengthy statement on Twitter following the match.
"I've grown into a sport where I expect to read things written about myself," he said. "Whether it be the colour of my skin, where I grew up, or, most recently, how I decide to spend my time off the pitch." He continued, "I will never apologise for who I am and where I came from."
Despite the upsetting loss and his failure to get a penalty score, he concluded that he is a "black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else I have that."