Meghan Markle fans are demanding a publication apologise for an article branding her a "narcissist" akin to Donald Trump.
The Politico opinion piece, titled '2022 Is The Year We All Finally Got Tired of the Narcissists', also compared the Duchess of Sussex to the likes of Kanye West, Elizabeth Holmes and Sam Bankman-Fried.
But some have slammed author Joanna Weiss' work as "racist" on social media.
It comes after - as the Mirror previously reported - Netflix docu-series Harry & Meghan allegedly left Prince William "utterly furious" due to further attacks on the royals.
On top of the series - part of the couple's multi-million pound deal with the streaming service - the Sussexes have far from kept a low profile this year.
Earlier this month they received an award at the Ripple of Hope ceremony in New York, while Harry's new autobiography Spare is out in January.
Adding to controversial allegations made in their bombshell chat with Oprah Winfrey last year, they have both featured in further interviews since, leaving the Firm uncomfortable.
Referring to various 'narcissists' across 2022, Weiss' column includes the line: "Some of them got their comeuppance and some of them got worse: our disinterest."
Christopher Bouzy, who appears in the Netflix show, wrote on Twitter Meghan's only offence is having "defended herself while being black".
In contrast, he branded others in the piece criminals and in the case of West an anti-Semite.
He said: "Placing Meghan Markle at the center of criminals and antisemites is not an accident. The hate for Meghan is palpable. A woman of color protecting her family and defending herself isn't narcissism; it's survival."
Bouzy is quoted in the documentary as saying the controversy over the Sussexes is "about hatred. It's about race".
He found a 2012 tweet from Weiss in which she responded to a tweet about having "a #RoyalFetus column in your future", saying "I've been thinking a lot about Prince Harry lately".
Similarly, journalist Victoria Bronworth tweeted: "How on earth is Meghan Markle grouped with the likes of criminals, racists and anti-Semites? @politico claiming Meghan is a narcissist for speaking out about the unbridled racism leveled at her just bolsters her point."
Another fan suggested Weiss was jealous of Meghan's marriage, while another said it is was "very sad, desperate behaviour".
Politico's editorial director Ryan Heath defended the column, tweeting: "If you want to write-off an entire publication because one of our 600 journalists included Meghan Markle on a list, you are indeed tired of free debate.
"If, instead, you actually just disagree with her being included on the list, you can say that instead."
Weiss has yet to publicly respond to the backlash.
In her article, she said she was drawn to Meghan and Harry but the Netflix show turned her against them.
"My natural sympathy for the couple started turning to irritation, and it occurred to me that ego has its limits," she wrote.
"And it struck me that the overreach that led to the Sussexes’ critically panned mega-series is the same impulse that turned Elon Musk into a terror on Twitter, that prompted Ye to up the ante of outrageous behavior until he crossed the line into blatant antisemitism, that sent Bankman-Fried from the top of the world to a Bahamian jail."
Weiss admits the pair do have legitimate grievances, however, saying: "Even sympathetic critics have groused that there’s little new here, beyond the vanity."
She also adds that the Sussexes' narcissism is more "benign" than others mentioned.
Earlier this year, Meghan and Harry released an official statement saying: "Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope.
"As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us."
They added that Netflix's "unprecedented reach will help [them] share impactful content that unlocks action".
