Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s former aide breaks silence on ‘bullying’ allegations

Meghan Markle’s former aide has suggested she was among palace staffers interviewed during an investigation of “bullying” claims. Photo / AP

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s former aide has implied she was one of 10 palace staffers who were interviewed over “bullying” claims made against the Duchess of Sussex.

Chatting to the Herald Sun, the late Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary, Samantha Cohen, said she had been part of conversations during an investigation into bullying claims against Markle, but she did not provide any further information regarding the subject.

In the interview, Cohen did touch on the couple’s well-known high staff turnover.

“I was only supposed to stay for six months, but stayed for 18 - we couldn’t find a replacement for me and when we did we took them on tour to Africa with Harry and Meghan to show them the ropes, but they left [quit] as well while in Africa,” she told the outlet.

In 2021, it was revealed that concerns had been raised three years earlier regarding the former Suits actress’ behaviour towards employees. A snippet of one of the complaints was published by the Times, and shed light on the Sussexes’ then-communications secretary’s grievances during his time working for the royal couple.

The complaint, which was sent to Prince William’s then-private secretary, Simon Case, in 2018, shed light on Kiwi Jason Knauf’s concerns over Markle’s behaviour towards staff, writing that he was “very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year” and that “the treatment of X* was totally unacceptable”.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Sussex with Samantha Cohen, the Queen's former assistant and private secretary. Photo / Getty Images

Cohen, who recently broke her silence over the allegations, was the late Queen’s press secretary for 17 years and then later worked as her assistant and private secretary.

She then became an aide for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex before walking away from royal work altogether in 2019.

In Valentine Low’s 2022 book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, it was claimed Cohen had been “treated harshly” and “screamed at” by Harry and Meghan, comparing the experience to “working with teenagers”.

Meanwhile, the results of the investigation, which were decided only a couple of days before the Sussexes’ tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview, were never revealed to the public.

Representatives for Meghan slammed the allegations at the time, claiming they were “being used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative based on misleading and harmful misinformation”.