Meghan Markle ‘saddened’ at ‘bullying claims’ from Palace adviser

Meghan Markle’s spokesperson, responding to the allegations, said: “The duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character”

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is “saddened” by claims that she faced a bullying complaint from a close adviser during her time at Kensington Palace, her spokesperson has now said:

“The duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself”

Allegations reported by The Times newspaper have said that Meghan Markle had faced a complaint from October 2018 on the behalf of Jason Knauf, who was at the time the communications secretary to the Sussexes.

The complaint alleged that the Duchess drove two personal assistants out of the household and undermined the confidence of a third member of household staff, the paper had said.

This comes after Prince Philip has been moved to a different hospital where he will continue to be treated for an infection and undergo further tests. The Duke of Edinburgh, 99, was admitted to a London hospital just under two weeks ago as a “precautionary measure” after feeling unwell.

The Times has said that it had been approached by royal sources who had claimed that they wanted to give their personal account of the “turmoil” within the royal household with the Sussexes.

Meghan’s spokesperson, responding to the allegations, 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.”

The Times  have also reported that Meghan Markle had attended a state dinner while wearing earrings that had been given to her as a wedding gift by the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

The earrings were reportedly worn while on a trip to Fiji which had taken place just weeks after the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A US intelligence report released just last week had found that the crown prince had approved the killing of Khashoggi. 

There is no suggestion that the Duchess of Sussex received the earrings in person from Mohammed bin Salman, or that she has ever even met the crown prince.

This comes after a COVID-19 testing centre close to the capital of The Netherlands, Amsterdam, appears to have been targeted intentionally following an explosion before the testing site opened, police have now said.

The report from The Times comes just days before Harry and Meghan’s interview with American talk-show host, Oprah Winfrey, is due to be aired.

The two-hour special from CBS will be screened on Sunday on the TV network in the US and is expected to be shown on a TV channel in the UK on the 8th of March.

The royal household will be braced for the revelations from the show, as the couple discuss their lifestyle within the Royal family and their exit from the British monarchy.