Royals at war: Buckingham Palace to investigate bullying claims against Meghan

Buckingham Palace has announced it is launching an investigation after the UK’s The Times reported that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, bullied several staff members during her time as a working royal.

The newspaper reported on Tuesday that the duchess drove out two personal assistants and left staff feeling “humiliated” when she lived at Kensington Palace following her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. The Times said an official complaint was made in October 2018 by Jason Knauf, then the communications secretary to the Sussexes. It was reported that he handed in his notice the following month and now works for Harry’s elder brother, Prince William.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said it was “clearly very concerned” about the allegations in the newspaper “following claims made by former staff of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex”.

“Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article,” the palace said. “Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned.

“The royal household has had a dignity at work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace.”

Meanwhile, responding to The Times’, a spokesman for the Sussexes said Harry and Meghan were the victims of “a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful information”.

“We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of The Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet,” the spokesman said. “It’s no coincidence that distorted several-year-old accusations aimed at undermining The Duchess are being briefed to the British media shortly before she and The Duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience of recent years.

“The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma.”

Harry and Meghan are expected to tell US chat show host Oprah Winfrey why they walked away from the British royal family in a tell-all interview airing on Sunday, March 7 in the US. In two preview clips, which were released on Monday, Oprah asks Meghan if she was “silenced” by the royal family, while Prince Harry appears to take a swipe at his father and senior members of the royal family.

It comes comes less than two weeks after the palace announced that the couple will not be returning to their duties as senior members of the royal family, a year after they announced they were stepping back from public life. Harry and Meghan now live in Montecito, California, with their one-year-son Archie. The couple confirmed last month that they are expecting baby number two.