Were Meghan Markle 'bullying' royal staff rumors a LIE? Duchess demands proof of 'unacceptable behavior'
In an escalation of the standoff between the two parties, Meghan Markle has demanded that Buckingham Palace give documents, emails or text messages relating to the bullying complaint against her. This comes after a senior Palace aide accused Meghan of 'unacceptable behavior' towards two personal assistants and undermined the confidence of a third.
The Queen has passed the request to Prince Charles, whose closest aides are now conducting a search of files. Meanwhile, both sides of the bullying row appear to be lawyering up, as Buckingham Palace is mulling bringing in an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in an unprecedented move that will no doubt increase tensions further.
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Former and current royal aides who were shut off from giving evidence in court during Meghan's recent legal privacy battle are expected to speak to the inquiry, while the duchess prepares to fight back against what she has termed 'a smear campaign'.
Jason Knauf, the Sussexes' then Communications Secretary, kicked off the bullying saga in October 2018 when he sent an email to a senior courtier, saying that "the duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year." The complaint, however, was not pursued by the HR department. The issue came to light again in February this year, when two senior staff members came forward, alleging that they had been bullied by Meghan, with one former employee claiming they were personally "humiliated" by the 39-year-old ex-'Suits' star.
The Sun reported one royal insider suggesting that the "actual worst incidences haven’t come out. There are some harrowing stories to tell." Another warned of some more scandals, "could come out in the wash that hasn't been told."
Last week, it was reported that the Queen was to launch a probe into allegations that Meghan bullied royal staff and several of them lost their jobs due to her. A Times of London article reported Markle being accused of creating a toxic work environment and allegedly reducing staffers to tears when she lived at Kensington Palace after marrying Prince Harry in May 2018. In one alleged incident, a royal aide shared that they “can’t stop shaking” in anticipation of a confrontation with the duchess, the Times reported.