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Buckingham Palace Investigating Claims Meghan Markle Bullied Staff

Buckingham Palace Investigating Claims Meghan Markle Bullied Staff

The Duchess of Sussex is 'saddened' by the claims and have called them a 'smear campaign' ahead of their tell-all with Oprah.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Buckingham Palace is investigating allegations Meghan Markle bullied staff.

The Times newspaper has aired statements from a former staffer that claim the Duchess of Sussex drove out two personal assistants when she was a working member of the Royal family.

There are also claims she left staff at Kensington Palace 'humiliated' on several occasions.

In a rare statement, Buckingham Palace said it is taking the allegations seriously and will look into whether they are true.

"We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex," the statement said.

PA

"Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article. 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."

A complaint was reportedly lodged in October 2018, claiming Meghan's behaviour led to two staff members leaving the household.

But the Sussexes have hit back, with lawyers for Meghan and Prince Harry saying the claims aired in The Times were 'being used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative' about the Duchess and the way she treats her staff.

A spokesperson for the Royal couple added that this explosive claim has been leaked at the perfect time because Prince Harry and Meghan's highly publicised interview with Oprah is set to air this weekend.

The spokesperson told Deadline: "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.

"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.

"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."

The world was given a tiny snippet of what we can expect from the sit down with Oprah during the Golden Globe Awards.

At one point, Meghan seemed to be poised to say that life in the Royal family was 'almost unsurvivable' as she took part in the tell-all interview.

Oprah tells them: "You've said some pretty shocking things here..."

Then Winfrey asked Meghan 'were you silent or were you silenced?'

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, News, Meghan Markle