Meghan Markle has been in the headlines for various reasons over the years, with one being her reported treatment of staff.
Although the Duchess of Sussex has been placed under the nickname “Duchess Difficult”, Meghan, 43, has denied the claims that she mistreated staff, with her team calling the allegations a “calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation”.
However, with a number of her employees resigning and leaving soon after joining, people have been left wondering if there is any truth in the allegations, which date back to her time as a senior member of the Royal Family.
One of the first allegations to emerge was made by a royal correspondent who said a pregnant Meghan Markle reportedly “turned and hissed” at one of her members of staff on a tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji in the autumn of 2018. Rebecca English of the Daily Mail said: “I was there at the time and witnessed Meghan turn and ‘hiss’ at a member of her entourage, clearly incandescent with rage about something, and demand to leave.
“I later saw that same — female — highly distressed member of staff sitting in an official car, with tears running down her face.”
It was reported in The Sun that Meghan’s anger was caused by a group called UN Women being present at a market in Fiji when she was there, even though she had reportedly insisted they not attend.
A similar situation was also reported in The Times when Meghan Markle had allegedly phoned one staff member from the royal household “every 10 minutes” while she and Prince Harry were out for dinner.
According to the staff member, the Duchess of Sussex felt like she had been let down about an issue apparently worrying her, so had “repeatedly” contacted the royal staffer. Valentine Low, author of Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, quoted the staff member from the Palace in the book, which was later published in The Times. The worker reportedly said: “Every 10 minutes I had to go outside to be screamed at by her [Meghan] and Harry”.
The claims led to the Palace launching an investigation into the reports of the bullying.
Since quitting the Royal Family in 2020, Meghan has also been accused of treating her staff members poorly, with the Duke of Sussex’s chief of staff, Josh Kettler, reported to have quit this year at short notice after just three months in the post.
In September this year, The Hollywood Reporter published a damning report labelling the Duchess of Sussex “Duchess Difficult” and claiming that her staff are allegedly “terrified” of her and her “belittling” behaviour towards them. The outlet cited sources saying that Meghan “marches around like a dictator in high heels, fuming and barking orders”, with one source adding: “I’ve watched her reduce grown men to tears”.
Allegations were also made regarding the Duchess’s “noisy tantrums” and “angry 5am emails”.
Despite these repeated accusations about Meghan Markle, some staff members have stepped forward in her defence, with Meghan’s team denying the claims against her previously. A current staff member for the couple, who wished to stay anonymous, said: “It’s clear where this type of commentary is coming from. It’s likely made up from someone who’s disgruntled.
“They want to take care of us. Meghan will do things like, ‘You mentioned on the call your skin is bothering you, I put together a kit for you. Whenever staff goes to their house, they leave with a basket with fresh flowers, fresh fruit, fresh eggs.”
