Buckingham Palace has vowed to launch a thorough investigation into bombshell claims that the Duchess of Sussex bullied young staff before her and Prince Harry split from the royal family.
The complaint was made known after The Times reported that the couple’s communication chief filed a bullying complaint against Markle in 2018.
According to the complaint, some young staff were reduced to tears by Markle’s bullying.
“Senior people in the household, Buckingham Palace and Clarence House, knew that they had a situation where members of staff, particularly young women, were being bullied to the point of tears,” a source told The Times.
Communications secretary Jason Knauf submitted the complaint in order to protect staff at Kensington Palace, with a former aide agreeing that it “more like emotional cruelty and manipulation, which I guess could also be called bullying.”
Allegedly, Prince Harry asked Knauf not to continue with the complaint.
The statement from Buckingham Palace was unusual and reads:
“We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times 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. Members of staff involved in 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 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.”
Markle has outright denied the claims and said she was “saddened” by them through her spokesperson.
“Let’s just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation. We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of The Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet,” said the spokesperson for Markle and Harry, in part, to The Times.
“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,” read a separate statement from the spokesperson.
“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,” it continued. “She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good.”