By Sheila Mckenzie-
Bullying allegations by Meghan Markle sparked the final rift between Prince William and Prince Harry, according to royal sources speaking on the Channel 5 documentary Kate v Meghan: Princesses at War?.
As the two brothers met to unveil the statue of their mother, there has been some renewed focus to examine the details of exactly at what point the brother’s relationship began to deteriorate, and how their deepened rift came about.
A number of sources from The Sun Newspaper connected to the royal household have stood by their sources in discussions with this publication, confirming that an expression of caution by Prince William to his brother to be careful of Meghan, was the beginning of tension between the two brothers. Prince Harry automatically became defensive and reacted badly, according to those close the details of the story. Prince Harry or Meghan Markle have ever addressed or denied this claim.
Those concerns later developed into full scale bullying allegations against Meghan Markle which led to two members of staff having to leave their posts.
Sources have referenced an email in 2018, from Jason Knauf, the joint communications secretary for Kensington Palace to Simon Case, William’s private secretary, highlighting concerns that two staff had left the palace after conflicts with Meghan. Buckingham Palace has launched a bullying investigation into the allegations, which the Sussexes are said to be prepared to address each allegation point by point.
The allegations are not a positive reflection on Meghan Markle, but the full details of the bullying allegation have never been openly outlined. Harry reportedly ‘flared up’ at allegations that Meghan Markle had bullied staff when confronted by his brother, Prince William.
Knauf said her treatment of one aide had been “totally unacceptable”, claiming he had received “report after report” about the duchess.
“The moment the prince heard the bullying allegations, he related to this friend, he got straight on the phone to talk to Harry — and when Harry flared up in furious defense of his wife, the elder brother persisted,” he wrote in an extract from the book.
“Harry shut off his phone angrily, so William went to speak to him personally. The prince was horrified by what he had just been told about Meghan’s alleged behaviour, and he wanted to hear what Harry had to say.”
In 2018, Jason Knauf, the joint communications secretary for Kensington Palace, sent an email to Simon Case, William’s private secretary, outlining concerns that two staff had left the palace after conflicts with Meghan.
“I’m very concerned that the duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year,” he wrote in a document drafted that October and quoted by The Times at the time.
Knauf said her treatment of one aide had been “totally unacceptable”, claiming he had received “report after report” about the duchess.
The Queen launched a probe into the allegations and the Palace released a statement saying they were “very concerned” and would be investigating. A royal source told reporters at The Sun that Ms Markles’s behaviour took a “human toll” on staff – an allegation Meghan denies. One problem that surfaces here is the absence of detail about the behaviour which took a toll on staff. Those details from both parties would give a better picture of what took place between Meghan Markle and the complaining staff.
The Palace brought in a third-party law firm to conduct the investigation into bullying claims made by both current and former royal aides.
Horrified
Robert Lacey, the author of Battle of Brothers, claimed that William was “horrified” about the accusations and confronted his brother in a “fierce and bitter meeting”.
The precise details of those accusations could shed light on who behaved wrongly and unacceptably.
In the documentary series, ‘The Me You Can’t See, Harry spoke about what was going on at home during this experience, saying he found Meghan crying because of the “combined effort of the Firm and the media to smear her.”
“I was woken up in the middle of the night to her crying in her pillow because she doesn’t want to wake me up, because I’m already carrying too much,” he said. “That’s heartbreaking. I held her, we talked, she cried and she cried and she cried.”
Saddened
At the time of the bullying allegations, a spokesperson for the Sussexes denied the claims, saying, “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 and Harry’s team also denied the allegations in a statement directly to The Times, saying, “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 May, he spoke of his family’s unwillingness to talk about his mother’s death, and how he was expected to “suffer” in silence. The Duke Of Sussex said he had been willing to drink and take drugs to cope with the pain of losing her.
Princess Diana relaxing with her sons in 1993 at Thorpe Park in Surrey Image: PA
Over 4,000 flowers have been planted for the Sunken Garden’s redesign, which has taken 1,000 hours to complete.
The garden – which sits within London’s Kensington Gardens, next to Hyde Park – will be open to the public to visit for free from Friday, in line with Kensington Palace’s opening hours.
Kensington Palace issued a statement after the statue was revealed, which read: “The figure of Diana, Princess of Wales, is surrounded by three children who represent the universality and generational impact of the Princess’s work.
“The portrait and style of dress was based on the final period of her life, as she gained confidence in her role as an ambassador for humanitarian causes and aims to convey her character and compassion.”
The Daily Mail today quoted a source stating that the siblings shared texts over England’s victory against Germany on Tuesday’s (June 29) game at Wembley. The content of the text was not revealed, leaving no clues as to the mood or spirit of the text messages.
One source told the publication that while they “highly doubted” the brothers would ever be as close as they once were, there was a silver lining.
“Harry and Meghan’s decision to burn so many bridges behind them and make such terrible allegations against their family in that infamous Oprah interview, knowing they will never be in a position to defend themselves, has taken its toll.
“What little trust there was has been well and truly destroyed,” the source said.
Prince Harry has expressed sadness and disappointment that the royals, especially his father, Prince Charles, didn’t intervene in controlling the media attacks against his wife, or respond to her cries of mental health issues making her feel suicidal.
We know Prince William was not happy with Meghan Markle over the bullying allegations, and was also suspicious of her motives. A logical conclusion also is that Prince Charles would have been aware of the bullying allegations against Meghan Markle, affecting his perspective on the whole affair.
The findings of the bullying investigation could put a lot into perspective and maybe even offer some hope of reconciliation once a thorough examination of what occurred is conducted..