Royals: Buckingham Palace investigates Meghan Markle bullying claims

Buckingham Palace begins an investigation into claims the Duchess of Sussex badly treated staff, insisting the Royal Household won’t tolerate such behaviour.

Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, watch the military fly-past to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force (RAF).

Buckingham Palace has begun an internal investigation into allegations the Duchess of Sussex badly treated staff, insisting the Royal Household will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace.

This follows a royal aide accusing Prince Harry and Meghan of being outrageous bullies, and the explosive publication of a 2018 internal email sent by Jason Knauf, the then communications secretary for Meghan and Prince Harry which was passed onto Buckingham Palace.

The email, referred to in The Times, detailed how two royal aides were bullied out of the household in the past year. Mr Knauf wrote in October 2018: “The treatment of X* was totally unacceptable.”

The Queen looks on during the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.

The Queen and Meghan watch the RAF 100th anniversary flypast from Buckingham Palace in 2018.

He also added in the email “I questioned if the Household policy on bullying and harassment applies to principals.”

Royal aides also spoke to The Times making further allegations of bullying by the Duchess, which she denies.

The publication of parts of the email and the emergence of former staff detailing their experiences adds to a sense within the Palace walls that staff support was ignored at the expense of the Royal Family appeasing Meghan and helping her feel comfortable in her new role as a Duchess.

The aides’ revelations has deepened the rift between the Sussexes, on the eve of a tell-all with Oprah Winfrey, and the Royals, desperately worried about the health of Prince Philip, who remains in hospital.

Meghan accused The Times of being “used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative’’.

She added, through her legal advisers, that she was “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’’.

The Palace said in a statement: “We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

“Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article. Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned.’’

The Palace said that the Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years. It said the Royal Household “does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace’’.