Those Meghan Markle Bullying Claims Have a More Complicated History Than We Realized

Despite seemingly breaking ranks with the British royal family over one year ago, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are still subject to an ongoing investigation. In case you forgot, claims of bullying levied against the Duchess of Sussex came to light in March 2021, coincidentally just days before the royal couple’s sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey. Now, it seems that the staffers involved allegedly didn’t want to pursue their claims to the next level.

But let’s back up just a bit further. The bullying accusations against Meghan were initially made in October 2018 by Jason Knauf, Prince Harry and Meghan’s former communications secretary. At the time, Knauf seemingly sent an email to the HR department responsible for Buckingham Palace, naming the two staffers who came forward with the allegations. However, once the email naming those staffers in question was sent, they reportedly didn’t want to pursue the accusations any further.

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According to an updated epilogue for Finding Freedom, written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, “sources confirmed that upon discovery of Jason [Knauf]’s email, two of the individuals mentioned in the email asked for any allegations made to HR about their experiences with Meghan to be rescinded,” per Entertainment Tonight. The book further claims that Prince Harry did not step in to try and influence the outcome of the HR investigation or stop it before it even began.

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At the time that bullying accusations were publicized by The Times, Meghan and her legal team wholly denied the claims, calling them a “defamatory portrayal” of her interactions with staff. It’s also worth noting that The Times’ report was published not long after Meghan’s legal victory over the Mail on Sunday‘s pervasive reporting on her personal life and family. The investigation into these bullying claims against Meghan is still very much ongoing. However, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting a definitive ruling anytime soon. But it’s clear that there’s a lot more going on here than we previously thought.

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Before you go, click here to find out which tell-all books expose major royal family secrets.

Launch Gallery: The All-Time Most Romantic Photos of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle

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