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Meghan's lawyer denies claims she 'bullied palace staff'

Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images
Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images

Meghan Markle's lawyer has denied claims that she "bullied" palace staff while she was a Senior Royal. The allegations were made earlier this year, when the Duchess of Sussex's former communications secretary Jason Knauf told The Times that she had driven "two personal assistants out of the household and undermined the confidence of a third staff member" back in 2018.

In light of the allegations, Meghan and her husband Prince Harry made a statement to People, saying: "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."

Following the complaint, Buckingham Palace launched an official investigation.

Despite the investigation, which is being carried out by an independent law firm, being delayed (with findings not expected to be released to the public until 2022), Meghan's lawyer has shut down the allegations made against her. Appearing on the BBC's controversial The Princes and the Press documentary, Jenny Afia, head of legal at Schillings, said there were "massive, massive inaccuracies in that story".

Afia continued, "The overall allegation was that the Duchess of Sussex was guilty of bullying. Absolutely not." Although, she emphasised that Meghan "wouldn’t want to negate anyone's personal experiences."

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

"I think the first thing is, is to be really clear about what bullying is," she added. "What bullying actually means is improperly using power, repeatedly and deliberately to hurt someone, physically or emotionally. The Duchess of Sussex has absolutely denied doing that."

But, Afia pointed out how difficult it would be to prove that Meghan had not done so. "It’s really hard to prove a negative. If you haven’t bullied someone how do you show that you haven’t," she questioned. "Just denying an allegation 'I didn’t beat my wife' doesn’t address the underlying problem that the allegation has been made."

The documentary, which explores the relationship between the media and Prince Harry, Meghan, Prince William and Kate Middleton, has not been well received by the Royal Family, who branded the claims made within the two-part series as "overblown and unfounded."

In light of the documentary, Buckingham Palace has apparently threatened to boycott future programming with the BBC, and reportedly "haven't ruled out" taking legal action against the broadcaster.

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