ROBERT JOBSON: Trolling on royals is nothing new. But with Kate and Sarah Ferguson dealing with a barrage of abuse while dealing with health problems, this hatred has taken things to a new level.

Court gossip has been part of royal life for centuries, but the online trolls attacking the Princess of Wales as she recovers in hospital from major abdominal surgery have taken things to a new level.

I won't dignify their bile by repeating it here, but suffice it to say that it's so terribly offensive that it's hard to understand how anyone could find such behavior acceptable in any way.

They have even turned on Sarah Ferguson, albeit not as viciously, following the revelation that she has skin cancer.

It's unbelievable that these laptop warriors, who are – invariably – cowards hiding behind pseudonyms, can get away with spewing such hatred.

This kind of disgusting abuse has nothing to do with freedom of expression and its perpetrators must be reported, hunted down and dealt with by law.

In the ever-evolving digital age, the King knows that he and the rest of 'The Firm' must embrace social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, which give them access to millions of followers.

They help the royals promote who they are and what they do – especially when it comes to their charity work – in an age when it is increasingly important for them to justify their existence.

But the pace of change in the online world and the interactivity that is an essential part of it have brought new problems.

Today, the royals employ their own teams of online specialists, who unfortunately have to spend hours moderating, deleting their sites and ridding them of swear words and insults.

Things have gotten so bad lately that glossy magazine Hello! launched a campaign called #hellotokindness to tackle the rise in toxic insults aimed at the royal family, especially Kate and Meghan.

The hostility even extends to royal correspondents, with many members of the press being targeted, and some – including myself – even receiving death threats.

Twitter, now

Fergie, Duchess of York, faced hate when she revealed she has skin cancer

Of course, trolling royals is nothing new. As early as the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I's love life was the subject of excited gossip, never more so than after the secret marriage of the Countess of Essex to the Earl of Leicester.

The latter, better known as Lettice Knollys and Robert Dudley respectively, had long been a favorite of the Queen and she was reportedly enraged by her kinsman's betrayal.

The late 18th century saw the rise of printed gossip magazines in London, which were widely used by wronged lovers to air their grievances in public.

For example, the Duke of Cumberland, Henry Frederick, was very publicly humiliated for betraying a sex worker named Polly Jones, who then shared her story with the press.

Early in her reign, Queen Victoria was mocked and called 'Mrs Melbourne' for being too close to her first Prime Minister Lord Melbourne, whom she affectionately called Lord M.

And in 1821, the gossipers had a big day when Caroline, wife of George IV, caused a scene at her husband's coronation, trying to enter despite a ban.

In modern times, a young Prince Andrew became entangled with former lovers exploiting indiscreet letters. And James Hewitt, known for his affair with Princess Diana, published a tell-all book, gave interviews and tried to profit from their relationship.

But the advent of the Internet has taken public opinion to a new level and led to the publication of vast amounts of unverified information online, as anyone with a smartphone became a de facto paparazzo or a 'citizen journalist', making it more difficult to distinguish between reliable sources and fake news.

And while the mainstream media takes privacy rights very seriously, trolls have no such scruples.

Buckingham Palace and the mainstream media have so far largely succeeded in shielding the younger royals, such as the Cambridge children George, Charlotte and Louis, from intrusive online attention – although there is usually a barrage of rude comments follows the publication of an official photo.

Prince William also faced online trolls for taking time to visit his wife in hospital

But through their work, the royals are witnessing the harsh reality of online excess and William has launched a taskforce to combat cyberbullying.

As debates about online safety rage, the royal family could be crucial in shaping a better environment for all.

Recent changes to the law in Britain have highlighted the need to focus on 'psychological harm' in online communications, as well as content that is simply offensive.

Let's hope this approach works and will somehow quell the absurd hostility we've seen in recent days.