Meghan Markle allegedly upset staff ahead of her royal wedding in 2018, with claims the late Queen stepped in to remind her how ‘things are done’ in the Royal Family
According to reports, Meghan Markle, like many brides before her, was an anxious bride before her big day in 2018.
With the world’s eyes on her and her husband Prince Harry, with a fairytale wedding to plan, tensions ran high, including alleged clashes with caterers and Meghan’s sister-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales (then Duchess of Cambridge), over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress.
But the drama didn’t stop there. According to royal biographer Katie Nicholl, Meghan found herself in a tense moment with a staff member during a menu tasting at Windsor Castle, the Daily Mail reports. During the tasting, Meghan reportedly got upset after being able to taste egg in what was thought to be a vegan dish.
One source told Nicholl in her book The New Royals, “She got quite upset, saying that the dish was meant to be vegan and macrobiotic.” However, Meghan’s American directness didn’t go unnoticed by the late Queen, who intervened right away.
Nicholls’ source claims, “Suddenly the Queen walked in and said: ‘Meghan, in this family we don’t speak to people like that.’” It wasn’t the only time her treatment of staff reportedly came to the attention of the late Queen.
Royal historian Hugo Vickers has claimed that while Meghan and Harry were living at Frogmore Cottage, another complaint was made. According to Vickers, the Duchess had been so dismissive towards an under-gardener that it prompted the senior staff member to speak directly to the Queen.
However, the stories about Meghan being an alleged bully kept on coming. In the years since Meghan has left the Royal life behind, multiple reports have emerged about Meghan’s strained relationship with palace staff. The phrase “Sussex Survivors Club” began circulating, in reference to a group of former employees who’d worked closely with the couple and come out on the other side.
Daily Mail royal editor Rebecca English wrote that some aides were left “emotionally broken” by their experiences. Even more concerningly, she claimed that she’d been on the phone with a sobbing employee who had had a “harrowing day.”
In 2018, an internal review into Meghan’s treatment of staff was triggered after her communications secretary, Jason Knauf, sent an email to Prince William’s then private secretary. His email claimed that Meghan had bullied two PAs out of the house in a single year.
He added: “The duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights.” Knauf, who would later change sides and begin working alongside William and Kate, has said he wouldn’t change his decision to speak out. In 2022, Knauf was made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order by King Charles III in his New Year’s Honours List.
Meghan firmly denied all allegations of bullying and described them as a “calculated smear campaign”. A spokesperson for the Duchess said: “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.”
Last year, a former bodyguard Steve Davies, who worked with Meghan after she had been announced as Harry’s girlfriend, came to the Duchess’ defence when speaking to In Touch Weekly . He said: “She gets a bad rap for being a not very good person to work with, that she was this evil person in the Royal Family . I saw her, from working at the studio to working with charities to working with dog walkers and cleaners. There’s one huge lesson I learned from her: It’s give respect to get respect.”
He added: “I felt sorry [for her] because she’d gone from being a celebrity to being a member of the biggest family in the world.” When Davies visited the duchess in the UK, he likened her life to being in a “goldfish bowl”.
He claimed it did not help that “Buckingham Palace was controlling the PR and Meghan was always used to being able to control the PR herself with her team”. This was also around the time that employees started complaining, Davies said: “The staff at Buckingham Palace [said they] couldn’t stand working for her. Nobody had a bad word to say about her [in Toronto]. Even with the pressure that she was under, she was warm and considerate all the time.”
He also added that she had a “big heart” and would “go out of her way” to help people. In the interview, Davies, who no longer works with the Duchess, said: “I would work with her again, not a problem at all. She was a good person to work for, and she still is a good person.”
Whilst the late Queen seemed to disapprove of Meghan throwing herself headfirst into the Royal family and life, it also seems the slow-burning introduction into the Royal family life by Kate Middleton was also something the Queen wasn’t impressed by.
In 2018, Royal expert Phil Dampier, who has been reporting on the Firm for more than 20 years, told Express.co.uk that Kate gradually started doing engagements because William was protective of her. He said: “The Queen once remarked Kate doesn’t do very much so I think she had a fairly long entrance to the Royal family.” Dampier said William was protective of Kate because of what happened to his mother, Princess Diana, something Harry has been keenly scrutinised for when it comes to Meghan.
