Buckingham Palace is reportedly launching a probe into allegations that Meghan Markle bullied staff as a senior royal. The Duchess of Sussex was accused of creating a toxic and manipulative atmosphere for royal staff in a Tuesday story published in the Times of London that sparked the investigation, the palace said in a statement late Wednesday.
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“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, according to Yahoo News UK.
“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.”
Meghan Markle is been accused of occasionally putting staffers through tears when she lived at Kensington Palace after her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. According to the Times report, in one incident, a royal aide told a colleague “I can’t stop shaking” as they expected a confrontation with the Duchess.
The Times also reported that two senior palace employees were allegedly bullied into quitting their jobs while another staff said they had been personally “humiliated” by the former actress.
However, Markle on Wednesday described the reports of bullying as nothing more than a “calculated smear campaign” orchestrated by the palace ahead of her highly anticipated Oprah TV sit-down, which is set to air March 7.
Speaking about the allegation to the Times of London, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said, “Let’s just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation”
“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.”
