Because the world is mad, Princess Charlotte is being targeted by vile trolls.

Now that trolling has become a hobby and two-year-olds – apparently – reasonable targets, trolls have begun to spit their vitriol at Princess Charlotte because who better to abuse than a toddler who can’t respond?

On Monday, Kensington Palace has released a brand new photo of Princess Charlotte ahead of her second birthday. To mark the occasion, the Duchess of Cambridge took the image herself, complete with royal comb-overs, hair clips and cardigans.

While most clicked through to the image, smiled and considered the young royal quite the tiny doppelganger for her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth, others exerted a little more energy taking their qualms about privilege to the internet and using a toddler as their scapegoat.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on May 1, 2017 at 2:02am PDT

At the risk of giving voice to too many of the assertions, but in the essence of context, trolls took at aim at the two-year-old’s “middle aged blow dry and her inherited privilege”,  with many calling her an “ugly child” who is growing up “in a parasite-feeding house”.

British publications like Metro, The Sun and Mirror Online all reported the Facebook comment section of their respective pieces on the image were hit with a barrage of nasty commentary.

Despite the considerable number of nasty comments, the royal family wasn’t without its supporters, with many calling out the “nasty” people who are trolling, with one writing, “It’s a baby you should keep quiet you moron” and another adding, “Why are been mean to a little child? Shame on you”.

Many more voiced their disdain for the people who took their own criticisms of the royal family out on a defenceless two-year-old.

The royal family have kept both Princess Charlotte and Prince George largely out of the spotlight since they were born, with two-year-old Charlotte making few public appearances apart from ones on Christmas Day and during a tour of Canada last year.

And with the volume of bizarre vitriol that can come from a single photo, it’s apparently no surprise why.