Meghan faced allegations of bullying during her time in the royal family – something she strenuously denied, calling the claims part of a ‘calculated smear campaign’

Allegations of bullying were behind Prince William’s decision to split his household from Prince Harry’s in 2019, according to a royal expert.

William was made aware of claims that Meghan Markle had ‘bullied’ palace members of staff, which both the Duchess of Sussex and her husband Prince Harry have always denied. After an unsuccessful phone call to discuss matters with his brother, William decided to ‘throw Harry out’, Robert Lacey revealed in his book, Battle of the Brothers. Lacey further quotes a Kensington Palace courtier as saying: “Meghan portrayed herself as the victim, but she was the bully. People felt run over by her. They thought she was a complete narcissist and sociopath — basically unhinged.”

The bullying allegations came to light in March 2021, when the Times reported Meghan had bullied two staff members out of Kensington Palace. The publication stated that a complaint was lodged against the Duchess in October 2018, five months after her wedding to Prince Harry. Jason Knauf, who worked as communications secretary to Harry and Meghan, is said to have claimed the Duchess “drove two personal assistants out of the household and was undermining the confidence of a third staff member”.

According to the Times, Knauff sent an email to Prince William ’s then-private secretary Simon Case, in a move designed to get Buckingham Palace to protect staff Knauff claimed “were coming under unbearable pressure from Meghan”. The article further claimed Harry “pleaded” with him not to pursue the allegations during a meeting, which the Sussexes’ lawyer claims never happened. However, a short time later Meghan released a statement denying all allegations of bullying, claiming she was a victim of a “calculated smear campaign”.

A message issued by the Sussexes’ spokesperson read, “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.”

The Times report came days before Harry and Meghan sat down for their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. In it, they made some shocking allegations about the royal family, which included Meghan saying a member of the Royal Family aired racist concerns over the colour of their son’s skin. She also said she had contemplated suicide during her time in the Firm, and alleged the Royal Family tried to silence her, refused to protect her and Prince Harry, and lied to protect other members of the family.