Meghan Markle’s staff ‘felt on edge and frazzled’ but pal says she’s not a bully

Meghan Markle has recently found herself at the centre of a Buckingham Palace investigation, following reports that several members of staff had accused her of being a “bully”.

The Duchess of Sussex, 39, strenuously denies all claims made against her, with a spokesperson saying: “The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character.”

Following the bombshell claims, royal author Omid Scoobie has said that during his time writing about Meghan and Prince Harry, 36, he had never heard of such allegations made against the former actress.

Scoobie, who penned the controversial biography Finding Freedom has however said that he often heard that working for The Royal Household could be “unpleasant”.

Speaking to The Mirror, he said: “I have my own personal experience of working alongside and getting to know many of the people the couple worked with.

“I heard stories about people being stressed and on edge and completely frazzled by the work environment because this was a time when staff often felt caught between the Sussexes and the institution of the monarchy.”

He went on to add: “But at the same time that doesn’t feed into a bullying narrative, and it’s certainly not one that was ever expressed to me –and I’ve seen different iterations of those teams around them over the years.”

The author also spoke about the timing of Buckingham Palace’s statement saying they will be opening an investigation into the allegations about Meghan, just a few days before her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey airs.

“Certainly these aren’t the first stories about staff feeling emotional or battered and bruised by their experience of working for a member of The Royal Family,” he said on his podcast, The HeirPod.

Omid continued: “In fact, there have been times, I’m told by people who have even worked there, that it has sometimes been a very unpleasant place to be.”

According to the Times Jason Knauf, then the Sussexes’ communications secretary, made a complaint in October 2018.

The complaint claimed Meghan had allegedly driven two personal assistants out of the household.

It is further claimed she was undermining the confidence of a third staff member, The Times reports, allegations Meghan’s representatives have denied.

An extract of Jason Knauf’s email, published by The Times said: “I am very concerned the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X* was totally unacceptable.

“The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her ­confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards Y.”

A spokesperson for Meghan said in response to the claims: “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.”

They added: “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.”