Meghan 'saddened' by allegations of bullying at
Kensington Palace
Aide alleged in 2018 that Duchess of Sussex’s
behaviour had driven out two personal assistants, say reports
Ben Quinn
and agencies
@BenQuinn75
Wed 3 Mar
2021 08.15 GMT
The Duchess
of Sussex is said to be “saddened” by a report, days before the broadcast of an
interview with Oprah Winfrey, claiming she faced a bullying complaint at
Kensington Palace.
The Times
reported that a complaint was made in October 2018 by Jason Knauf, then the
Sussexes’ communications secretary, which alleged Meghan had driven two
personal assistants out of the household and was undermining the confidence of
a third staff member.
Her
spokesman said: “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 did not comment.
The Times
reported that sources had said they felt only a partial version had emerged of
Meghan’s two years as a working member of the royal family.
The
complaint was said to have been made in October 2018 by Knauf, who was the couple’s
communications secretary at the time. Prince Harry was reported by sources to
have pleaded with Knauf not to pursue it.
The latter
is now chief executive officer of the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess
of Cambridge, with whom he took a job as an adviser after the 2019 move by
Harry and Meghan to set up a separate official household with offices at
Buckingham Palace.
Knauf was
reported to have emailed Simon Case, who was then the Duke of Cambridge’s
private secretary but is now the cabinet secretary, after discussions with
Samantha Carruthers, the head of HR. Case was said to have forwarded it to
Carruthers, who was based at Clarence House.
Knauf
reportedly said Carruthers had “agreed with me on all counts that the situation
was very serious” and he remained concerned that nothing would be done.
The Times
reported that lawyers for Harry and Meghan had told the newspaper that it was
“being used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative” before the
Winfrey interview.
A
spokesperson for the couple was quoted as 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.”
The CBS
two-hour special in which the couple will be shown speaking to Winfrey will be
screened on Sunday in the US and will be aired in the UK on 8 March on ITV at
9pm.
The royal
household will be braced for revelations from the conversation, which is being
trailed as “intimate” and “wide ranging”, as the couple discuss their lives
within the royal family and their exit from senior working roles in the
monarchy.
The bulk of
the programme will be a conversation between Winfrey and Meghan; Harry is
expected to join only for a concluding, future-oriented segment. The couple
confirmed last month that they were expecting a younger brother or sister for
their one-year-old son, Archie.
The events
come as Harry’s grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, is sick in hospital in
London. Prince Philip, 99, spent nearly two weeks in the private King Edward
VII’s hospital before being transferred to St Bartholomew’s hospital on Monday
for tests on a pre-existing heart condition.
Buckingham Palace to investigate bullying allegations
against Meghan
Palace says its HR team will look into the
circumstances around claims made against the Duchess of Sussex
Ben Quinn,
Archie Bland and Caroline Davies
Wed 3 Mar
2021 19.41 GMT
Buckingham
Palace is to investigate allegations of bullying against the Duchess of Sussex
by former royal staff member, it announced on Wednesday, as relations between
members of the royal family appeared to descend to new lows.
In a highly
unusual statement, the palace said it was “very concerned” by a report in the
Times of claims that Meghan had driven out two personal assistants during her
time as a working royal, while Kensington Palace staff had been “humiliated” on
several occasions.
It came
hours after sources close to Meghan and Prince Harry suggested that the
emergence of the bullying allegations was timed to undermine their forthcoming
interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The source
acknowledged that a direct accusation of responsibility against the palace by
the couple had been clumsily phrased, but suggested “people in the royal orbit”
were responsible for the timing of the story – and claimed it was intended to
create scepticism over Meghan before the high-profile interview to be aired on
Monday.
In a
statement, Buckingham Palace said: “We are clearly very concerned about
allegations in the Times following claims made by former staff of the Duke and
Duchess of Sussex.
“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.”No
timetable has yet been set out for the investigation but the hope was to start
soon, sources indicated.
The Times
had reported that a complaint was made in October 2018 by the Sussexes’ then
communications secretary, Jason Knauf, which alleged Meghan’s behaviour had
driven two personal assistants out of the household.
Lawyers for
Harry and Meghan told the newspaper it was “being used by Buckingham Palace to
peddle a wholly false narrative” about Meghan’s behaviour. Knauf is now chief
executive of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Royal Foundation, the primary
charitable vehicle for William and Kate.
A source
close to Harry and Meghan said that a separate allegation – that Meghan had
worn earrings that were a wedding gift from the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin
Salman shortly after the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi – had been
misrepresented but was “embarrassing”.
The
recriminations over the claims underline the depth of tensions to emerge since
the couple’s decision to step back from their role as working members of the
royal family last year. They also reflect the chasm between Harry and his
brother, the Duke of Cambridge, since the brothers divided the staff they once
shared, particularly in their communications team.
The timing
of the story will also be seen as a marker of the high stakes of the Oprah
interview. The conversation, in which Harry and Meghan will discuss their lives
within the royal family and their exit from their roles, has been trailed as
“intimate” and “wide-ranging”. On Wednesday ITV said it would show the
interview in the UK on Monday night, 24 hours after the two-hour special is
broadcast in the US.
The Times
reported that a complaint was made in October 2018 by Knauf, then the Sussexes’
communications secretary, which alleged Meghan had driven two personal
assistants to leave the royal household and was undermining the confidence of a
third staff member. It was reported that he handed in his notice the following
month.
In 2019,
Knauf – who had advised William and Kate, and Harry and Meghan, on media
relations – took up a role focusing only on William and Kate.
Knauf was
reported to have emailed Simon Case, who was then William’s private secretary
and is now the cabinet secretary at Downing Street, after discussions with
Samantha Carruthers, the head of HR. Case was said to have forwarded the email
to Carruthers, who was based at Clarence House.
Knauf
reportedly said Carruthers had “agreed with me on all counts that the situation
was very serious” and he remained concerned that nothing would be done.
The Times
reported that lawyers for Harry and Meghan had told the newspaper that it was
“being used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative” before the
Oprah interview.
A
spokesperson for the couple was quoted as 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.”
The royal
household will be braced for revelations from the Oprah interview. The bulk of
the programme will be a conversation with Meghan. Harry is expected to join
only for a concluding, future-oriented segment.
The couple
confirmed last month that they were expecting a younger brother or sister for
their one-year-old son, Archie.
It come as
Harry’s grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, is ill in hospital in London.
Prince Philip, 99, spent nearly two weeks in the private King Edward VII’s
hospital before being transferred to St Bartholomew’s hospital on Monday. On
Wednesday, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, said his condition had “slightly
improved”.
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