Palace staffers have apparently ‘rescinded’ those Meghan Markle bullying claims

Two Buckingham Palace staffers who accused Meghan Markle of bullying reportedly rescinded their claims.

Royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claimed in the epilogue of their newly updated biography Finding Freedom that, according to Entertainment Tonight, “upon discovery” of a formal complaint by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s former communications secretary Jason Knauf, “two of the individuals mentioned in the email asked for any allegations made to HR about their experiences with Meghan to be rescinded.”

“Two of the individuals mentioned in the email asked for any allegations made to HR about their experiences with Meghan to be rescinded,” the new epilogue says.

The backstory

Back in March 2021, The Duchess of Sussex denied all accusations of bullying during her time as a working member of the royal family when an article was published in The Times which alleged that Markle’s behaviour at the palace led to a written complaint in October 2018 by the couple’s former communications secretary.

He claimed Markle “drove two personal assistants out of the household and undermined the confidence of a third staff member.” The complaint also alleged that several palace staffers were bullied by Markle and were often reduced to tears by her “unacceptable” behaviour.

The palace responded publically and said they would investigate all claims.

However, The Times apparently failed to report at the time that the staffers who had complained backtracked on their accusations upon hearing that the communications secretary had reported the alleged incidents without their permission.

“When it became known to [the two individuals], they each asked for the matter to be rescinded and for it to not become an official complaint,” a source alleged to Scobie in March.

“Let’s just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation,” the statement for Markle read at the time of the claims, which happened to coincide just before the couple sat down for their now infamous tell-all Oprah interview. “We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of the Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet.”

In an additional statement to People, the representative added Markle was “saddened by this latest attack on her character,” especially as “someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma.”