Meghan Markle made a very rare move and responded to a new report The Times ran alleging the Duchess of Sussex “faced a bullying complaint made by one of her closest advisers during her time at Kensington Palace,” and that multiple royal aides had come forward with concerns about her portrayal.
The Duchess, through her spokesperson, called out the royal aides' report for what it is: another “attack” on her character ahead of her and Prince Harry's big Oprah interview airing this Sunday.
The couple's lawyers have told The Times they are “being used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative” ahead of their interview with Oprah.
The Times reports staff had been reduced to tears with one aide reportedly telling a colleague: “I can't stop shaking,” while anticipating a confrontation with Meghan.
Another said they had been personally “humiliated” by the Duchess.
In a statement to the outlet, the Duchess of Sussex's spokesperson said, “The Duchess is 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. She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good.”
Meghan's communications team provided a fuller statement to The Times, echoing that sentiment: “Let’s just call this what it is—a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation. We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of The Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet. It’s no coincidence that distorted several-year-old accusations aimed at undermining The Duchess are being briefed to the British media shortly before she and The Duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience of recent years.”
“In a detailed legal letter of rebuttal to The Times, we have addressed these defamatory claims in full, including spurious allegations regarding the use of gifts loaned to The Duchess by The Crown,” they continued.
The narrative that Meghan was bossy and “Duchess Difficult” to work for first emerged years ago, back in 2019 when the British tabloids were constantly running smeary stories about her.
