From “Difficult Duchess” to “Princess of Montecito,”Meghan Markle has been called a series of different and somewhat degrading nicknames since becoming a royal in 2018. And although much of that stemmed from the onslaught of hate Markle and Prince Harry have received in the past few years, it’s also safe to say plenty of judgment also stemmed from inside the house. In fact, royal staffers have been open through the years, whether anonymously or not, about what it was like to work with the Sussexes and let’s say not all of them had kind words to say.
In 2021, for example, the staff allegations reached an all-time high when a complaint made by a member of the couple’s staff, communications assistant Jason Knauf, accused the former Suits star of bullying her staff members. In the HR complaint, Knauf accused the Duchess of driving two staffers into quitting their jobs.
The time in which the complaint reached the public, however, was quite revealing. Knauf’s complaint, which was actually submitted in October 2018, was publicized five days before Markle and Harry’s sit-down with Oprah Winfrey. Coincidence much?
Following the allegations, Markle issued a statement denying it all and the Palace conducted an investigation that has since been completed. “Meghan is a fair boss and never bullied anyone who worked for her at the Palace in the first place. She’s happy that her name has been cleared from the defamatory claims,” a source told Us Weekly after the conclusion of the investigation.
Over the years, however, Knauf has not been the only Sussex staffer to be vocal about their time under the couple’s leadership. To find out more about what it was like to work with them, scroll below!
The Initial Bullying Claims
Five days before the Sussexes were set to tell their truth in a sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey, an October 2018 bullying complaint from the couple’s former communications assistant, Jason Knauf, came to light. In the HR complaint, Knauf said that two PAs quit because of Markle’s behavior.
“I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X* was totally unacceptable,” the HR complaint read, per Page Six.
“The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights,” Knauf reportedly continued. “She is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y.”
Since the report hit the headlines, Markle has vehemently denied the allegations. The Palace, for their part, conducted an internal review on the matter but have not shared the results.
Bullying Claims Continue
In addition to Knauf’s complaint, The Times‘ story also had palace sources that gave an inside look at what it felt like to work with Harry and Markle. In one alleged incident, a royal aide who was anticipating a confrontation with Markle told a colleague that she couldn’t “stop shaking.” Another source added, “[working for them is] more like emotional cruelty and manipulation, which I guess could also be called bullying.”
“Senior people in the household knew that they had a situation where members of staff, particularly young women, were being bullied to the point of tears,” another source alleged, adding that other royal members covered up Markle’s alleged behavior.
Claims From Valentine Low’s Book
In October 2022, royal author Valentine Low published his book Courtiers: Intrigue, Ambition, and the Power Players Behind the House of Windsor. Within its pages, Low allegedly talked to many former staff members of the couple and outlined a series of new allegations against their behavior.
In one instance, for example, one individual was spoken to “particularly harshly” by Markle. At one point, the source alleges Markle said, “Don’t worry. If there was literally anyone else I could ask to do this, I would be asking them instead of you.”
In another alleged story, a staffer summarized Markle’s lack of boundaries. “You could not escape them,” the source said. “There were no lines or boundaries—it was last thing at night, first thing in the morning.” The same former staffer then also remembered a particularly troubling moment between them after a problem. “Every ten minutes, I had to go outside to be screamed at by her and Harry,” the source remembered. “It was, ‘I can’t believe you’ve done this. You’ve let me down. What were you thinking?’ It went on for a couple of hours.”
“There were a lot of broken people,” another source told Low. “Young women were broken by their behavior.”
The Trust Tests
According to Low’s book, working with Harry was much easier either. In fact, given that he was born into the family, and the public scrutiny that came along with it, Harry was, in essence, quite paranoid.
At one point in the book, Low explained that Harry would use the phrase “the palace syndrome” to label staff members who wouldn’t fight battles with the press that he wanted them to. “Giving in to the media was a key symptom of whether you had developed it. The team fighting all these battles: it was a constant test of loyalty. ‘Are you going to protect me? Or have you just become one of them, who won’t fight for me? It was exhausting,'” a former staffer source told Low.
Sussex Survivors’ Club
Also revealed in Low’s book, many of those staffers who worked for Markle and Harry would go on to call themselves the “Sussex Survivors’ Club” once they moved on to another role. In an interview with Good Morning Britain, Low confirmed the claim, adding “I think it was a very difficult experience for some of them.”
Sources in Tina Brown’s Book
In many of the allegations surrounding Markle’s staff treatment, it’s highlighted how Markle’s difference in culture impacted their communication. In The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — the Truth and the Turmoil, by Tina Brown, for example, a former staffer talked about Markle’s perspective as a newly-minted member of The Firm. “‘They just couldn’t deal with Meghan’s level of directness,’ a Palace source explained to me,” Brown writes in her book. “In other words, ‘Why didn’t that invite go out?’ rather than ‘I wonder if you could just check if that invitation did in fact go out if you don’t mind Allegra?'” Brown muses as an example.
All the Texting
Speaking of the differences in culture, Markle’s proactive personality was quite jarring for staffers when she joined the family. “She’s an early riser, up at 5am rain or shine, and it is said palace staff have never experienced anything remotely like Meghan’s formidable work ethic, matched only by the incessant stream of ideas about how to shape her role,” a Palace source told Daily Mail.
Kind Words From Catherine St. Laurent
In July 2021, Catherine St. Laurent, the former Chief of Staff to the Archewell Foundation, defended the Sussexes in a chat with The Cut. “It was an incredible experience,” she said of working with the pair. “They are incredibly talented and creative leaders. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to do that, to be able to be with them on their journey. The time that I spent with them was incredibly fulfilling.”
“I think they have the potential to be very influential leaders in the social-impact space,” St. Laurent continued. “I look forward to continuing to be a part of that.”
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