Buckingham Palace will engage an outside independent law firm to investigate allegations that the Duchess of Sussex has bullied royal staff, reports said.
In an escalation of the standoff between the two sides, Meghan Markle has written to the palace demanding to see documents, emails or text messages related to the bullying complaint against her, The Mail on Sunday may reveal.
But in an unprecedented move that will no doubt add to tensions, royal staff have decided that a third party should take charge of the investigation, rather than the internal investigation first announced, according to The Sunday Times.
A senior Palace assistant had accused Meghan of ‘unacceptable behavior’ towards two personal assistants and undermining the trust of a third, leading to the investigation being turned over to a law firm.
Former and current royal aides who were unable to give testimony during Meghan’s recent legal privacy battle are expected to speak with the investigation.
But with clear indication that the Duchess is preparing to fight back against what she has called ‘a smear campaign’, a senior Palace source confirmed that her office had ‘written to ask for the evidence’.
In response, the Queen forwarded the request to the Prince of Wales, whose closest aides are now searching files.
Meanwhile, it turned out Saturday night that William and Harry had been “ in touch ” with Oprah Winfrey for the first time since last Sunday’s explosive interview, the Sunday Times reported.
In the interview, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex saw shock waves making allegations of racism against ‘The Firm’.
The Duchess of Sussex has written to Buckingham Palace and demands to see all documents relating to the plague against her
In February, two senior members of the Royal Staff claimed they were bullied by Meghan, while a third said they were personally ‘humiliated’ and claimed that two staff members had been bullied.
Meghan has denied the allegations.
According to a royal source speaking to The Times: ‘The actual worst incidents have not yet come out. There are some poignant stories to tell. ‘
“A lot can get into the laundry that has not been told,” another source told the paper.
The Sussexes are not expected to be invited to participate in the investigation, despite writing to Buckingham Palace about this, a decision that could further widen the rift between the royal family and the couple.
The news that Meghan is gearing up for a fight with the palace to defend her reputation comes as:
- The Queen, 94, will continue this week with scheduled appointments to continue the ‘business as usual’ approach taken since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave their bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey;
- Meghan’s girlfriend Janina Gavankar joined the fightback by claiming that one of the PAs had been fired for “gross misconduct” and not left because of bullying;
- Omid Scobie, the co-author of the Sussexes biography Finding Freedom, said he had seen an email from Meghan asking staff to correct a story that made the Duchess of Cambridge cry;
- Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation announced it would support several charities, including Mind, the mental health charity, Color of Change, a US civil rights organization, and PressPad, which aims to enhance diversity in the media;
- In a previous post on Meghan’s blog The Tig, it was revealed that she knew all about the ‘pomp and circumstance surrounding the royal wedding and the endless conversation about Princess Kate’ – which seems to contradict her claim that she had little knowledge of the royal. family before they met. Harry;
- The Palace said race issues raised in Harry and Meghan’s interview – specifically the suggestion that a member of the family raised questions and concerns about the color of their unborn son’s skin – would be taken seriously and made private addressed.
Allegations of Meghan’s bullying have sparked anger among the Sussexes.
The allegation first came to light earlier this month when an email from Jason Knauf, the couple’s then-press secretary, was leaked to The Times newspaper.
The Queen and Prince Charles attend the Braemar Highland Games 2019
Written in October 2018 while the Sussexes were still living in Kensington Palace, Mr Knauf wrote: ‘I am very concerned that the Duchess has been able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X [Name redacted] was totally unacceptable.
The Duchess seems keen to always have someone in her sights. She teases Y and tries to undermine her confidence. We have received report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y. ‘
The email was sent to Simon Case, then the Duke of Cambridge’s private secretary and now the cabinet secretary, following Mr Knauf’s conversations with Samantha Carruthers, the head of HR of the palace.
In his email, Mr Knauf said that Ms Carruthers ‘agreed with me on all points that the situation was very serious’.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey
He added, “I remain concerned that nothing will be done.”
Buckingham Palace has said it is’ clearly very concerned ‘about the allegations, adding,’ Staff involved at the time, including those who have left the household, will be invited to participate to see if classes can be held. learned.’
But the Duchess’s spokesman hit back, saying she is “ saddened by this latest assault on her character, especially as someone who has been the target of self-bullying and is deeply committed to supporting those who are in pain and trauma. experienced ‘.
The palace had hoped any investigation would be a private matter, but that seems less likely now that friends of the Duchess have seemingly been sanctioned to defend Meghan publicly.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to a request for comment.