The Buckingham Palace has said that it will launch a probe into allegations of bullying against Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. It also added that the royals were very concerned about these allegations.
Meghan, however, said she was saddened by a report that she faced a bullying allegation during her time at Kensington Palace in London after her wedding to Prince Harry. “The Times" newspaper reported that the complaint was made in October 2018 by Jason Knauf, who was then the communications secretary for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the time.
The complaint claimed the former American actress had allegedly driven two personal assistants out of the household and was undermining the confidence of a third staff member, the newspaper report said. According to the Daily Mail, Meghan has been accused of driving out two PAs and shattering the confidence of one member of the Kensington Palace staff. The palace insiders apparently knew about this but did nothing.
“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, said a spokesperson for Markle, 39, who is now based in California and expecting her second child with Harry, 36.
“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 spokesperson said. Markle lived at Kensington Palace for nearly a year after her marriage to Prince Harry in May 2018. Lawyers for the couple, who stepped back as frontline royals last year, told the newspaper they are the victims of a calculated smear campaign based on “misleading and harmful misinformation".
The Royals had initially refused to comment on the matter, primarily because they are occupied with Prince Philip’s health who is still admitted in the hospital. However, the HR team of Buckingham Palace has now confirmed that it will launch an investigation into the allegations. The team said in its statement that the Palace has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for years and that policy does not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace. The team will also invite members of the staff, including those who are no longer in service, to see if details of the incident can be uncovered.
The allegations come almost at the same time as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tell-all interview with American host Oprah Winfrey is to air. A clip of the interview, which will air on March 7, was released earlier last week and it appears that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will shine some light into their decision to quit royal life.
(With inputs from PTI)
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