Meghan Markle responds by reporting that she intimidated royal helpers

Meghan Markle said through a spokeswoman that she is “saddened” by a London Times article alleging that she “humiliated” and “intimidated” employees.

The report is based on a charge initially raised in October 2018 by Jason Knauf, who served as communications secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the time. Knauf’s complaint, filed with officials in the royal house on behalf of unidentified employees, alleges that Meghan “expelled two personal assistants from the home and was undermining the trust of a third team member,” according to the Times.

“The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been bullied and is deeply committed to supporting those who have gone through pain and trauma,” said a spokesman for the royal couple in response to a request from the HuffPost for comments on Tuesday.

“She is determined to continue her work of building compassion around the world and will continue to strive to set an example of doing what is right and doing what is good.”

The Times article also reports that on two occasions, in October and November 2018, the Duchess wore earrings that had been sent as a wedding gift from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Crown Prince was responsible for the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in early October 2018, according to an intelligence assessment released by the U.S. government last week.

The Times article quoted this response from a spokesman for Meghan and Prince Harry: “In a detailed legal rebuttal letter to The Times, we addressed these defamatory allegations in full, including spurious allegations about the use of gifts borrowed from the Duchess by The Crown. ”

Next Sunday, the two-hour primetime couple’s much-hyped special with Oprah Winfrey will air, something the spokesman also mentioned in his response to the Times.

“Let’s just call it what it is – a smear campaign calculated based on misleading and damaging misinformation,” said the spokesman, adding that they were “disappointed to see this defamatory portrait of the Duchess of Sussex receiving credibility through a Communication”.

According to the Times, the couple’s lawyers said the channel was “being used by Buckingham Palace to spread a totally false narrative”.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement shared with HuffPost on Wednesday that it was “very concerned about the allegations in The Times after allegations made by former officials of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex”.

“Consequently, our HR team will analyze the circumstances described in the article. Employees currently involved, including those who have left the Casa, will be invited to participate to see if the lessons can be learned, ”said the statement. “Royal Household has a Dignity at Work policy in place for several years and does not tolerate and does not tolerate intimidation or harassment in the workplace.”