Meghan Markle Is "Moving On" After Her Name Is Cleared By Buckingham Palace For A Bullying Investigation
Meghan Markle may have started her career as a virtually unknown actress, but she quickly became a household name when she married Prince Harry of the British royal family and they became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan Markle has received her fair share of criticism since she joined the royal family—and especially after she and Harry all but left the royal family to start their own life away from London. Last year, the news surrounding Markle worsened when a report was commissioned claiming that she bullied staffers while she was an active member of the British royal family.
Meghan Markle Was Accused of Bullying Employees at Buckingham Palace
In March 2021, the Sunday Times published two stories quoting employees at Buckingham Palace who accused Markle of treating them with "emotional cruelty and manipulation." A formal HR complaint was made by Jason Knauf, the former communications secretary for Meghan, 40, and Harry, 37.
“I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year,” Knauf wrote in the complaint. "The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying [unnamed employee] and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards [unnamed employee]."
Buckingham Palace shortly after announced that they were launching an investigation into Meghan's actions and whether she was indeed bullying employees: “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."
Meghan's team insisted that these allegations were false and that the Sunday Times was "being used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative." They called the whole investigation "a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation."
Meghan Markle's Name Has Been Cleared from the Bullying Investigation
On June 29, Buckingham Palace confirmed that they concluded the investigation and Meghan Markle's name has been cleared. However, they won't be releasing the report and its details to the public, which is disappointing to Meghan and her team.
“The couple is disappointed that the results of the review of the investigation will not be shared,” someone told US Weekly. “Meghan is a fair boss and never bullied anyone who worked for her at the Palace in the first place. She’s happy that her name has been cleared from the defamatory claims. She and Harry are looking forward to putting the incident behind them and are happily moving on with their lives in Montecito.”
A royal expert named Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight that the Palace isn't going to release the details of the report because Queen Elizabeth "doesn't want anymore drama" and "doesn't want any more dirty linens aired in public."