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Meghan Markle’s Aide Speaks Out After Prince Harry and His Wife Hit With Bullying Accusations
Meghan Markle and husband Prince Harry have been hit with accusations of being bullies by former staff. Now, the Suits actress’ former aide Samantha Cohen is speaking out about her time working for the former royals.
“I was only supposed to stay for six months, but stayed for 18,” Samantha, 54, told the Herald-Sun after confirming that she’d been interviewed by Buckingham Palace regarding the bullying accusations. “We couldn’t find a replacement for me, and when we did, we took them on tour to Africa with Harry and Meghan [in 2019] to show them the ropes, but they [quit] as well.”
While Samantha hinted at staff turnover, she did not elaborate on what else she divulged to the Palace.
Bullying claims against the California-based couple are not new information as they were first made public days before their sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
In 2018, communications secretary Jason Knauf lodged a complaint against Meghan, accusing her of driving two personal assistants to quit and undermining the confidence of a third.
“I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X* was totally unacceptable,” Knauf reportedly told Prince William’s secretary Simon Case. “The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y.”
She was quick to deny the claims. However, the Times of London reported that the Duchess of Sussex had previously made staff members cry during her time living at Kensington Palace.
Amid various other accusations, Meghan released a statement through her rep, saying, “Let’s just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation. We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of the Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet.”
The Duke of Sussex later defended his wife in his January 2023 memoir, Spare, writing, “[Meghan] checked on staff who were ill, sent baskets of food or flowers or goodies to anyone struggling, depressed, off sick.”
During a panel at SXSW in March, Meghan addressed online bullying that she’s experienced, adding that the “bulk of abuse was when [she] was pregnant.”
“We have forgotten about our humanity,” Meghan said while speaking with Katie Couric and Brooke Shields. “I keep my distance from social media right now for my own well-being. Why people would be so hateful … It’s not catty, it’s cruel.”
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