Meghan Accuses Buckingham Palace Of ‘Perpetuating Falsehoods’

LONDON (Reuters) – Prince Harry’s wife Meghan has accused
Buckingham Palace of “perpetuating falsehoods” about her and her
spouse, saying the royal couple would not be silent in telling
their story.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, made the comments to American
talk show host Oprah Winfrey in an interview about why they quit
their royal roles that is due to be broadcast on U.S. television on
Sunday.

An advance excerpt of the interview was released on Wednesday,
hours after Buckingham Palace said it was “very concerned” about
reports in the Times newspaper that assistants working for Meghan
two years ago had been bullied by her.

Harry and Meghan issued a statement denying that she had bullied
anyone.

“How do you feel about the Palace hearing you speak your truth
today?” Winfrey asks Meghan in the excerpt.

Meghan responded: “I don’t know how they could expect that after
all of this time we would still just be silent, if there is an
active role that The Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods
about us.” The Firm is the name that the British royal family
sometimes uses to describe itself.

“And if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean, there’s a
lot that’s been lost already,” Meghan added.

The interview was recorded before The Times newspaper ran a
report citing unnamed sources as saying an aide to Harry and Meghan
had raised a complaint in October 2018 alleging that Meghan had
reduced some of her assistants to tears and treated others so badly
that they had quit.

The paper said Harry had urged the aide, who has now left their
staff, to drop the complaint, and it never progressed.

The Times said it had been contacted by former staff members who
wanted the public to gain insight before the Winfrey interview
aired – and that lawyers for the couple had labelled the
allegations a smear orchestrated by the Palace.

Reuters could not independently verify the report.

“We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times
following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of
Sussex,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The Royal Household “does not and will not tolerate bullying or
harassment in the workplace”, it added.

It said its HR team would look into the allegations, and that
members of staff involved at the time would be invited to
participate.

“SADDENED BY ATTACK”

A spokeswoman for Meghan said earlier that she was “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”.

Meghan and Harry, who married in May 2018, stepped back from
their official duties in March last year to forge new careers and a
financially independent life in California.

That decision was confirmed last month, when they also handed
over all their royal patronages. They said their move was fuelled
in part by intense press intrusion.

However, Meghan had also previously indicated that she felt she
did not have the full support of the royal family.

In court documents submitted as part of her successful privacy
action against the mass-circulation Mail on Sunday, her lawyers
said she had felt “unprotected” while she was pregnant with their
son Archie.

LONDON (Reuters) – Prince Harry’s wife Meghan has accused
Buckingham Palace of “perpetuating falsehoods” about her and her
spouse, saying the royal couple would not be silent in telling
their story.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, made the comments to American
talk show host Oprah Winfrey in an interview about why they quit
their royal roles that is due to be broadcast on U.S. television on
Sunday.

An advance excerpt of the interview was released on Wednesday,
hours after Buckingham Palace said it was “very concerned” about
reports in the Times newspaper that assistants working for Meghan
two years ago had been bullied by her.

Harry and Meghan issued a statement denying that she had bullied
anyone.

“How do you feel about the Palace hearing you speak your truth
today?” Winfrey asks Meghan in the excerpt.

Meghan responded: “I don’t know how they could expect that after
all of this time we would still just be silent, if there is an
active role that The Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods
about us.” The Firm is the name that the British royal family
sometimes uses to describe itself.

“And if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean, there’s a
lot that’s been lost already,” Meghan added.

The interview was recorded before The Times newspaper ran a
report citing unnamed sources as saying an aide to Harry and Meghan
had raised a complaint in October 2018 alleging that Meghan had
reduced some of her assistants to tears and treated others so badly
that they had quit.

The paper said Harry had urged the aide, who has now left their
staff, to drop the complaint, and it never progressed.

The Times said it had been contacted by former staff members who
wanted the public to gain insight before the Winfrey interview
aired – and that lawyers for the couple had labelled the
allegations a smear orchestrated by the Palace.

Reuters could not independently verify the report.

“We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times
following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of
Sussex,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The Royal Household “does not and will not tolerate bullying or
harassment in the workplace”, it added.

It said its HR team would look into the allegations, and that
members of staff involved at the time would be invited to
participate.

“SADDENED BY ATTACK”

A spokeswoman for Meghan said earlier that she was “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”.

Meghan and Harry, who married in May 2018, stepped back from
their official duties in March last year to forge new careers and a
financially independent life in California.

That decision was confirmed last month, when they also handed
over all their royal patronages. They said their move was fuelled
in part by intense press intrusion.

However, Meghan had also previously indicated that she felt she
did not have the full support of the royal family.

In court documents submitted as part of her successful privacy
action against the mass-circulation Mail on Sunday, her lawyers
said she had felt “unprotected” while she was pregnant with their
son Archie.