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Home / Lifestyle

Duchess Difficult: Meghan Markle 'made butler do Prince Harry's coffee round', Palace worker claims

news.com.au
1 Jul, 2022 07:19 PM3 mins to read

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New claims are still being made about the Duchess of Sussex's behaviour before she and Prince Harry quit as working royals. Photo / Getty Images

New claims are still being made about the Duchess of Sussex's behaviour before she and Prince Harry quit as working royals. Photo / Getty Images

An inquiry into allegations of bullying by Meghan Markle has come and gone, with the findings being kept secret by Buckingham Palace.

But while it may never see the light of day, new claims are still being made about the Duchess of Sussex's behaviour before she and Prince Harry quit as working royals.

A part-time employee who briefly worked for Kensington Palace has told Daily Mail royal writer Richard Kay that Meghan changed her tune after the royal couple got married.

The worker said that before the royal wedding, Prince Harry would make a round of coffees for staff in the morning.

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But after they got married, she supposedly insisted that a butler do it for him.

Buckingham Palace launched an investigation into claims of bullying after the Sussexes communications secretary Jason Knauf lodged a formal complaint, claiming the Duchess had "bullied two PAs out of the household in the past year".

"The treatment of (X) was totally unacceptable. The duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying (Y) and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards (Y)," Mr Knauf's bombshell email in 2018 read.

The emails only came to light in The Times just before the Sussexes' sit-down interview with Oprah, which led the couple to brand the allegations a "calculated smear campaign".

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Meghan's own friends poured cold water on the claims, telling People magazine she was a good boss and that people enjoyed working for her.

But that didn't stop courtiers from branding her "Duchess Difficult" behind closed doors.

One former staffer told The Times they had been "humiliated' by Meghan, while one said she "couldn't stop shaking" after a tense conversation with the Duchess.

Jason Knauf, former communications secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, attends the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Photo / Getty Images
Jason Knauf, former communications secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, attends the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Photo / Getty Images

In March last year, Buckingham Palace launched the probe into allegations of bullying.

"We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex," a statement said.

"Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article. Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned.

"The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace."

But now it seems the outcome of the investigation will never be known.

The Palace said changes would be made after lessons were learned, but did not go into details.

Employment policies were also said to have been changed.

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