An investigation into accusations that Meghan Markle bullied royal aides has concluded. But the findings are being kept under wraps, allegedly because Buckingham Palace is “terrified” of antagonizing Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, who’ve routinely trashed all-things royal.
Rumors of Meghan’s alleged bullying leaked last year, around the same time as the ex-royals’ much-talked about interview with Oprah Winfrey.
“Buckingham Palace confirmed rumors that it would not publish a report it commissioned into the matter, not allow those who gave evidence to the report to see it, and not make public any changes to palace HR policy resulting from the report,” the Daily Beast reported Thursday.
The palace told The Telegraph the report would be kept private “to protect the ‘confidentiality’ of, among others, those who gave evidence in the report, however there was widespread suspicion Thursday that the palace was actually acting to avoid antagonizing Harry and Meghan,” the Daily Beast noted, adding, “The couple still have the power to inflict tremendous reputational damage on the royals. Harry has a memoir scheduled to come out in the autumn and they have been seen with Oprah Winfrey in recent days, prompting fears the couple could be planning another sitdown.”
A source similarly told the Daily Mail that the palace “seems to be terrified of upsetting or provoking Harry and Meghan.”
“Considering those who participated did so at great personal and reputational risk to themselves, the fact that they haven’t even been told what the findings are is unfathomable,” the source said. “I am sure they will be deeply distressed, but perhaps not entirely surprised given how things have been handled. The household seems to be terrified of upsetting or provoking Harry and Meghan.”
The Times reported in March 2021 that royal aides revealed a bullying complaint against Meghan from one of her closest advisors, though the complaint was not pursued, The Daily Wire noted.
“The complaint claimed that she drove two personal assistants out of the household and was undermining the confidence of a third staff member,” The Times reported . “It was made in October 2018 by Jason Knauf, the couple’s communications secretary at the time, seemingly in an effort to get Buckingham Palace to protect staff who he claimed were coming under pressure from the duchess. Prince Harry pleaded with Knauf not to pursue it, according to a source.”
At the time, a spokesman for Harry and Markle trashed the accusations as “a calculated smear campaign.”
“Let’s just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation,” the spokesman said. “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. In a detailed legal letter of rebuttal to The Times, we have addressed these defamatory claims in full, including spurious allegations regarding the use of gifts loaned to The Duchess by The Crown.”
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