Meghan calls royal bullying claims an 'attack' days before Oprah interview
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
LONDON — Prince Harry's wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was "saddened" by allegations published Tuesday evening in a U.K. newspaper accusing her of bullying staff during her time at Kensington Palace.
The report in the Times newspaper, which quotes unnamed sources and contains details not independently verified by NBC News, comes days before media mogul Oprah Winfrey's hotly-anticipated interview with Meghan and Harry.
"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," a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told NBC News.
Prince Harry, Meghan open up about leaving royal family in highly-anticipated interview
"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."
The Times claims to quote an email allegedly sent to a senior royal official in 2018 by Harry and Meghan's former communications secretary, Jason Knauf. NBC News has not seen the email.
The Times said that no action was ever taken over the alleged bullying claims.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement it was "very concerned about the allegations," adding that its human resources would "look in 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 statement said. "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."
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In an interview with television host James Corden last week, Harry, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, said that Britain's "toxic" press was one of the reasons he stepped back from his life as a senior royal.
"It was a really difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw. We all know what the British press can be like and it was destroying my mental health," he said.
He echoed that sentiment in his interview with Winfrey, saying that "it's been unbelievably tough for the two of us," according to a preview clip of the program released Sunday.
Meghan didn't speak in the previews released ahead of the Winfrey interview, scheduled to air on CBS on Sunday evening. A press release said that Meghan will discuss her life as a royal, motherhood and philanthropic work.
"You said some pretty shocking things here," Winfrey said in one of the two clips, with no indication of what she was referring to.
Harry and Meghan, who now live in California and are expecting their second child, announced in January 2020 that they were stepping back from their roles as senior members of the royal family. Their new position was due to be reviewed a year after they left.
Last month, the couple finalized their split from the royal family, when Buckingham Palace confirmed they would not return as working members of the royal family.
It's been less than three years since the couple married in a star-studded wedding at Windsor Castle. Meghan was hailed at the time for modernizing the monarchy.
After the birth of their first child in 2019, Meghan opened up about her life and the constant media spotlight, saying how difficult it was on her.
"Any woman, especially when they're pregnant, you're really vulnerable," she said in an interview with U.K. broadcaster ITV.
Rachel Elbaum
Rachel Elbaum is a London-based editor, producer and writer.
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An interesting sidebar to this is that there are reports that Prince Harry is being asked to come home to England to say goodbye to the Queen's husband, Prince Phillip who would be 100 years old in a couple months and who is believed to be dying.
The Oprah interview seems to be coming at an inopportune time.
Tired of these two. Don't want to be in the royal family? Fine. Quit the royal family? Fine.
Then shut the fuck up about it. Who gives a shit.
These two numbnuts couldn't shut their mouths for anything.
And she couldn't handle the spotlight? Bitch please, you are an actress.
I'm going to have to disagree about that. There was an accusation made against her. She has the right to answer it.
Sure she can. It just seems to me that for people that supposedly hate the spotlight, they just can't stay out of it.
They could have just released a statement instead of going on a media blitz.
Me, too. I am not a fan of royalty of any type so it applies to all of them.
Meghan has lived in the competitive world of acting. If she did not know what she was getting into then she was an idiot. I don't believe that she is an idiot. I doubt that she "bullied" anyone, but I could be wrong because I personally have a lifetime experience of knowing what happens behind closed doors isn't what is shown in public.
Meghan's and Harry's income depends on staying in the media spotlight as much as possible. Both are going to have to use incredible social skills to stay relevant in a world with billions of people clamoring for the same spotlight.
That is what bugs me most of all. If one is going to make their money being in the public spotlight, then stop complaining about being in the public spotlight.
Harry I can partially understand as he was more or less born into a public role. He didn't ask for it.
She purposefully put herself in the spotlight, then complains about it.
I agree.
Though sometimes I wonder if he isn't pissed about having to grow up always playing second fiddle to his brother and then being even further displaced from enormous power/prestige by his niece and nephews.
I suspect that Harry and Meghan are a perfect match when it comes to expecting to be kowtowed to on the world stage. Both have had lived lives of privilege compared to the vast majority of people. Watching either of them play victim in today's world is nauseating. Supposedly, they are all about charity and helping others, but the people they are working to benefit the most are themselves.
Throughout history, there seems be an enormous amount of narcissism in the royal leaders. It could be in their DNA or the society they are raised in or all of the above, but if our species is going to survive, we need to become less masochistic when it comes to following and supporting leaders.
World War I was a royal snit fit. During World War II, the abdicated King of England may have worked with Hitler to regain his throne.
I am not a fan of power hunger and controlling people because of all of the harm they have caused throughout history.