Were Meghan Markle's Earrings Tied To The Murder Of Jamal Khashoggi? Gift From Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Comes Under Fire
Meghan Markle is making headlines yet again. On Tuesday, March 2, The Times reported that several royal aides accused her of bullying staff while living at Kensington Palace.
Additionally, the outlet reported that the Duchess of Sussex wore earrings to a formal dinner in Fiji in 2018 that were a wedding gift from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, who apparently approved the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khaskoggi.
The dinner took place three weeks after Khaskoggi was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018.
The piece of jewelry was borrowed at the time, the outlet reported. “The duchess does not deny this was what she said, despite being aware of their provenance,” they wrote. "Lawyers for the duchess said she may have stated they were borrowed but did not say they were borrowed from a jeweller and denied that she had misled anyone about their provenance."
Last week, a declassified U.S. intelligence report revealed the Saudi Prince approved the killing. "We assess that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi," the report's executive summary states.
Additionally, Meghan's behavior was questioned while she was living in the U.K. with Prince Harry. “The complaint claimed that she drove two personal assistants out of the household and was undermining the confidence of a third staff member,” the outlet reported.
Two senior members of staff claimed they were bullied by the 39-year-old, while a former employee said they were “humiliated” by her.
Another aide claimed it felt “more like emotional cruelty and manipulation, which I guess could also be called bullying.”
Jason Knauf — who was the couple's communications secretary at the time — submitted the accusations in October 2018 but nothing seemed to happen.
“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 supposedly wrote in an email.
He added: “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 behaviour towards Y.”
“Senior people in the household, Buckingham Palace and Clarence House, knew that they had a situation where members of staff, particularly young women, were being bullied to the point of tears,” another source claimed. “The institution just protected Meghan constantly. All the men in grey suits who she hates have a lot to answer for, because they did absolutely nothing to protect people.”
However, Meghan's team hit back at the allegations and denied they were true. “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. 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,” a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said.
“In a detailed legal letter of rebuttal to The Times, we have addressed these defamatory claims in full, including spurious allegations regarding the use of gifts loaned to The Duchess by The Crown," they added.
The statement concluded: “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.”
