The press have commodified and vilified H&M because they were easy to wind up. They went into full defensive mode pretty much straight away and showed they were easy to provoke (letter to the press, keeping the press on the other side of the water during their engagement interview).
Catherine was HOUNDED by the paparazzi at the beginning of their relationship (to the extent of being called a bitch and whore in order to provoke her walking to her car), had her privacy invaded by having her phone hacked, being photographed in a private situation and on private property sunbathing naked (which was posted in magazines worldwide), taunted with the nickname Waity Katie, having radio presenters phone the hospital when she was pregnant to try and get medical details (this also happened with her cancer diagnosis, don’t forget) and having that poor nurse commit suicide because of their actions. Even now she is still called work shy on this board. William has also been called work shy, even as recently as this week in a popular newspaper (and no, I’m not getting into this debate of if he is or isn’t! You have your opinion, you are entitled to think what you think) so he is certainly not sainted. But for the most part, for better or worse, they rose above it and kept quiet. So there isn’t much to criticise them for.
Not only did Harry and Meghan not ignore it, they went on the attack and had to have their voice heard ad nauseum. And when people criticised and picked holes in their stories, they changed the story. They attacked people who weren’t able to respond due to the royal ‘never complain, never explain’. They dished private details about their family, like talking about William’s genitals and private conversations between family members. They decided to leave the establishment but then wanted to keep all the perks that they already had. And when they didn’t get what they wanted, they lashed out and said it’s a royal cover up.
Admittedly they have now for the most part tried to walk away from the above, but the mud has stuck and they cannot escape their own words and actions.
The British press are far from saints, they do pounce once they’ve chosen a victim (I remember watching a documentary that said they were going to go after Catherine and William because one of them didn’t smile or co-operate for a photo op) but tabloids aren’t a nonprofit organisation, they want things that get them clicks and revenue. Is that right? No, but to pretend Harry and Meghan are the only ones who have suffered at the hands of the press is ridiculous. Half of the stuff they have been criticised for is down to their own doing and out of their own mouth (see Harry’s visa application because he admitted to drug use in Spare, see Harry renegading on the royal racist narrative (Oprah interview) and saying it was the British press who said this, see Meghan saying they got married before the official wedding only to be denied by the Archbishop of Canterbury). This is why people criticise them.