Meghan Markle called out the social media hate she received while pregnant with her and Prince Harry’s son Archie and daughter Lilibet, saying, “It’s not catty—it’s cruel.”

Meghan Markle is pointing out a royally frustrating problem.

The Duchess of Sussex—who shares son Archie Harrison, 4, and daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana, 2, with husband Prince Harry—shared that the hate she received on social media reached an all-time high during what was meant to be a “tender and sacred time” for her as a mother.

The bulk of the bullying and abuse that I was experiencing on social media and online,” Meghan revealed during a March 8 panel at the SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas, “was when I was pregnant with Archie and Lili, and with a newborn with each of them.”

And now that the Suits alum keeps her distance from the internet for her “own well-being,” she said she’s been able to reflect on just how difficult that time in her life was.

“To really wrap your head around why people would be so hateful,” Meghan explained, “it’s not catty—it’s cruel. And why would [you] do that, certainly, when you’re pregnant, with a newborn?”

And though Meghan doesn’t think any mom should have to go through that level of public scrutiny, she noted that being a parent may also have helped her during that time.

“Because I was pregnant, that mammalian instinct just kicked in,” Meghan recalled. “You do everything you can to protect your child, and as a result, protect yourself too.”