Following news that Buckingham Palace will not be releasing results of the Meghan Markle bullying investigation it launched days before Meghan and Prince Harry’s Oprah interview aired in March 2021, E! reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not thrilled about the Palace’s decision. A source close to the couple told the outlet that they are “disappointed” that the results of the review are being kept secret.
The Palace launched the probe following a March 2021 report in The Times stating that during her time as a working royal, Meghan “faced a bullying complaint made by one of her closest advisers during her time at Kensington Palace,” and that multiple royal aides had come forward with concerns about her portrayal. Meghan’s spokesperson vehemently denied the aides’ claim to The Times then, calling it another “attack” on Meghan’s character and part of a bigger “smear campaign.”
The spokesperson said:
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 a detailed legal letter of rebuttal to The Times, we have addressed these defamatory claims in full, including spurious allegations regarding the use of gifts loaned to The Duchess by the Crown.
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.
Buckingham Palace first announced the investigation by releasing a very short statement. “We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” they 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.”
Fast-forward to June 2022, and Newsweek is now reporting that any lessons “learned” will remain private. During a media press conference, Keeper of the Privy Purse Sir Michael Stevens told press, per Newsweek, “I know many of you will want to know if our report contains any information into the review of the historic allegations of bullying that we announced in March 2021. There is nothing on this in the report. As we said last year, this work was undertaken privately and had no Sovereign Grant [public] money spent on it.”
“I can confirm though that it was a review of the handling of the allegations aimed at enabling the royal households to consider potential improvements to HR policies and procedures,” Stevens continued. “The review has been completed and recommendations on our policies and procedures have been taken forward, but we will not be commenting further.”
