People Are Questioning The Timing Of The Royal Aide Allegations Against Meghan Markle

This morning, Meghan Markle revealed she is ‘saddened’ by The Times article that alleges the Duchess of Sussex received a complaint from a royal aide in 2018. Dubbing the accusation a ‘calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation’, a spokesperson for the Sussexes said it was The Times article was ‘defamatory’.

The article was published this morning and alleges Meghan faced a bullying complaint from Jason Knauf, the couples communications secretary at the time, while she was living at Kensington Palace over three years ago. He reportedly emailed the Duke of Cambridge’s then-private secretary Simon Case to say Meghan ‘was able to bully two personal assistants out of the household in the past year’ to which Case forwarded the email to Samantha Carruthers, the head of HR at the time.

While Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the article, the Sussexes lawyers have categorically denied bullying allegations.

‘Let’s just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation,’ they said in a statement. ‘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.

‘In a detailed legal letter of rebuttal to The Times, we have addressed these defamatory claims in full,’ the statement continued. ‘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.’

With the statement raising the question of the timing of the allegations, many others are picking up on how convenient these years old accusations would come out now – just days before Meghan and Harry are set to share their truth in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey. The interview will be aired in the US on Sunday, with ITV showing it a day later on the 8th of March.

‘Two years ago it was reported that two aides had apparently left Meghan’s employment because they had a problem but now all of a sudden it’s called “bullying”’ TV commentator Joanna Jarjue told Good Morning Britain. ‘It’s very convenient that now all of a sudden the Oprah interview it set to come out this weekend.’

Jarjue was referencing reports from 2019 that questioned why two members of staff had left Markle’s employment. At the time, tabloids stated that anonymous sources told them it was because she was ‘difficult’ and had too high standards – vocabulary seeped in sexism as so many women know. In fact, at the same time said ‘difficultly’ involved the fact Meghan was ‘an early riser’ and text staff ‘six or seven’ times a day, according to the Daily Mail. Yes, that’s apparently what makes a woman ‘difficult’ to the tabloids.

Ultimately though, none of the reports or anonymous sources surrounding staff departure alleged any bullying back when they were first published – and this was around the time Meghan was already under unparalleled scrutiny from the tabloid press, so it seems unlikely that such a complaint would have gone unpublished.

It’s clear then why so many people find the timing of these allegations suspicious when we know Meghan is dubbed to speak very openly about her experience with the Royal Family this weekend. In a teaser clip, Oprah is seen stating ‘just to be clear, nothing is off the table’ and asking Meghan ‘Were you silent or were you silenced?’.

Tensions are likely running high in the Royal Family as members and staff alike await Meghan speaking her truth. For staff to pre-empt any allegations of mistreatment with their own accusations is not hard for many to believe then. The Times sources even seemed to admit they were pre-empting Meghan’s interview, with the publication stating ‘they believe the public should have insight into their side of the story before watching the couple’s much-publicised interview with Winfrey.’

Perhaps instead of worrying about what Meghan will say on Sunday, royal staff should turn their attention to the fact the FBI is still waiting for Prince Andrew’s co-operation as part of their investigations into Ghislaine Maxwell. That seems like a more worthy cause than smearing a pregnant woman who has already dealt with so much abuse with years old accusations from staff scared of what she’s about to reveal.

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