No, Prince William isn’t nominated for an Emmy — but Meghan Markle is

It’s fair to say that when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married back in 2018, they didn’t immediately experience the happily-ever-after that newlyweds dream of, as the British press cruelly targeted their relationship.

As I am sure you can remember, Meghan was relentlessly vilified and bullied while subjected to a constant stream of baseless tabloid scrutiny, in which she was criticized for everything from eating avocados to the way she wished her then-6-year-old nephew Prince George a happy birthday on Instagram.

Negative false stories were also circulated by the British press during this time, with Harry since claiming that Meghan was targeted as a result of the Royal Family’s longstanding relationship with the British media, stating: “They were happy to lie to protect my brother, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”

This quote added fuel to the longstanding speculation that fake stories were leaked to the press to detract potential negative attention away from Harry’s brother, Prince William, and his wife, Kate Middleton, because William is higher in the royal line of succession than Harry.

It has also been widely theorized that the palace was concerned that Harry and Meghan’s natural warmth and charisma as royals could put William and Kate to shame, which is what triggered a calculated smear campaign.

It soon became hard to ignore the fact that much of this resentment toward Meghan, who is mixed race, was rooted in racism, with several high-profile Brits making racially-charged comments or social media posts about her, as well as her and Harry’s children, over the years. The scrutiny ultimately became so intense that Meghan suffered with suicidal ideation, and in early 2020, she and Harry decided to step away from being working royals and relocated to sunny Montecito, California.

Thankfully, this is when the couple finally appeared to begin their happily ever after, with the two seemingly thriving as they enjoy a much more private life with their children, 7-year-old Archie and 5-year-old Lilibet.

Last year, Meghan decided to step back into the spotlight with the launch of her lifestyle Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, which she hosted and executive-produced. Across two seasons and a Christmas special, the show followed Meghan as she hosted friends and famous guests in a beautiful California home, where they shared cooking, gardening, and hosting tips.

The series made for truly delightful comfort viewing, and last week, Meghan shared her absolute delight at it being nominated for a Daytime Emmy award. She wrote on her Instagram page at the time: “A huge congratulations to the amazing crew, producers, and team who worked on With Love, Meghan on @netflix We are nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lifestyle Series!”

As her caption says, Meghan’s series is nominated for Outstanding Lifestyle Program, and is up against A Different Breed, George to the Rescue, The Motherhood, and The Wizard of Paws. Needless to say, Meghan’s supporters were overjoyed for the duchess, but the excitement turned to confusion when subsequent news headlines started to surface, suggesting that Prince William had achieved similar success... Which is absolutely not the case.

You see, William’s link to the Emmys is that an episode of Eugene Levy’s show that he appeared on was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program. The episode of Eugene’s The Reluctant Traveler was called “Living the Royal Life in the U.K.” and featured William as the Schitt’s Creek actor toured Windsor Castle.

While William was in the episode, the nomination actually doesn’t have anything to do with him; the nominees, more specifically, are David Reilly and Christine Rose, who wrote the AppleTV+ episode.

Even more tenuously, some publications have attempted to link William to The Reluctant Traveler receiving a nomination for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special, too — even though this wasn’t even an episode-specific nomination and covers the series as a whole.

To put it as plainly as possible: If With Love, Meghan wins its category, Meghan will receive an Emmy Award. If The Reluctant Traveler wins either of its, William will not be receiving anything — making it clear that only one of the two is actually nominated.

Needless to say, this attempted dilution of Meghan’s achievement has left a seriously bad taste in people’s mouths. Responding to a tweet reporting on William’s so-called nod, one person pointed out: “Willy ain't nominated for **** 🤣 That would be like saying Harry & Meghan were nominated when their 2021 Oprah interview received a Primetime Emmy nomination.”

Another added: “This is so desperate and embarrassing for William. He wasn’t nominated for anything. He was just one of the random guests in a random episode of Levy’s nominated show. Now royalists are going to say William is 'included' in the Grammy Awards because he met Taylor Swift.”

Somebody else wrote: “William appeared on Eugene Levy’s show. Meghan built her show from the ground up. No comparison.”

Your daily brain workout: You're One Of The Smartest People On Planet Earth If You Can Finish This 25-Word Mega Word Chain In One Try

You Might Like: Just 36 Clever Gadgets That'll Make You Think, "Why Don't I Own That Already?"

You Might Like: "Before Those AC Bills Start To Rise, Set Up Your Home With These 21 Products"

Also in Celebrity: "Chris Martin And Sophie Turner Dating? Plus 16 Other Wild Celebrity Couples"

Also in Celebrity: "Keke Palmer Just Revealed Where She Stands With Sean Evans"

Also in Celebrity: "18 Celebs Who Hid Spouses, Scandals, And Other Shocking Secrets From The World"

Read it on BuzzFeed.com