Royal Staffers Dropped Meghan Markle Bullying Complaints, New Book Claims

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Bullying allegations against Meghan Markle first came to light in March 2021, before the duchess' tell-all interview with CBS — read more

Royal Staffers Rescinded Meghan Markle Bullying Complaints — Meghan Markle Shutterstock

Taking it back. Months after Meghan Markle was accused of bullying former royal aides, a new report claims that the employees rescinded the complaint.

In a new epilogue included with the paperback edition of the book Finding Freedom by Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie, sources claimed that two of the people mentioned in the original complaint asked to withdraw the allegations.

Back in March, The Times reported that a former adviser for the Duchess of Sussex, 40, filed a bullying complaint against her when she and her husband, Prince Harry, were still living at Kensington Palace. According to the newspaper, the couple’s then communications secretary, Jason Knauf, claimed that the Suits alum drove two personal assistants out of the household and was undermining the confidence of a third staffer.

After the story broke, the Sussexes’ communications team denied the allegations in a statement to the outlet. “Let’s just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation,” their spokeperson said. “We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of The Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet.”

A representative for Meghan also denied the report at the time. “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,” the spokesperson told Us Weekly in a statement.

Days after the bullying report appeared, the California native and Harry, 36, gave their tell-all interview to CBS. In their original statement denying the claims, the royal couple’s team claimed that the timing of the allegations seemed suspect.

“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,” the statement read.

According to the new edition of Finding Freedom, “sources confirmed that upon discovery of Jason’s email, two of the individuals mentioned in the email asked for any allegations made to HR about their experiences with Meghan to be rescinded.”

After The Times report, Buckingham Palace launched an official investigation conducted by an independent law firm. Their findings were supposed to have been released in June, but have since been delayed and may not come out until 2022.