Meghan Markle’s Former Aides Stayed Silent on Alleged Bullying Fearing ‘Revenge': Author
Former Palace staff who accused Meghan Markle of bullying have been left emotionally rattled and afraid of possible retaliation, according to a veteran royal journalist. Despite having long parted ways with the Sussexes, the aides reportedly still fear what she might do, given that her "capacity for revenge was infinite."
According to royal author Valentine Low, who first reported the bullying allegations in 2021, some staffers remained in a 'psychologically delicate state' even years after leaving the royal household. Speaking on the Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered, Low said, “They were very worried about what Markle would do to them. They viewed her capacity for revenge as infinite.”
The bullying claims first surfaced just days before Markle and Prince Harry’s much-publicized Oprah interview. At the time, the couple dismissed the allegations as part of a 'calculated smear campaign' designed to discredit them. Their spokesperson argued that the claims were rooted in 'misleading and harmful misinformation.'
But Low insists the story was solid. “I had sight of various bits of documentary evidence. I saw things that totally backed up the story. I had utter confidence,” he said recently, adding that Harry and Markle’s lawyers had tried to block the story with strongly-worded legal warnings, only to fall silent after publication. Low argued that the timing of the report was crucial. Publishing it before the Oprah interview, he said, ensured it wouldn’t be brushed aside as 'sour grapes'. “If it came after, Markle would have come across as a heroine. The whole narrative would have been about her being victimised," the Daily Mail reported.
Since 2017, the Sussexes have been reported to have lost more than 25 staff members, many of whom, according to Low, found the working environment extremely tough. The most high-profile among them is Jason Knauf, once a close aide to the couple, who later accused Markle of driving two personal assistants out of the royal household and undermining the confidence of another staffer.
Knauf's 2018 internal complaint, leaked after the Sussexes' royal exit, accused Markle of 'totally unacceptable' treatment. He alleged she was “always intent on having someone in her sights.” Despite leaving the royal household in 2021, Knauf publicly reaffirmed his claims earlier this year, stating he had 'no regrets' and 'wouldn’t change a thing.'
While the Palace launched an internal review into the allegations, the findings were never released. Meghan’s team responded with strong denials and accused the Firm of failing to support her mental health during her time as a royal. Low, who wrote the book Courtiers, said Markle had been carefully documenting incidents in the lead-up to her royal exit, framing a narrative of being unsupported. “She was leaving a trail of evidence so she could later say: look how they failed me,” he wrote.
Some former staffers, however, paint a different picture, describing Markle as kind and thoughtful. Gifts, skincare products, and gestures of appreciation were part of her management style. But others say that kindness didn’t always last. As one source put it, “She was lovely when it was all going her way, but a demon when the worm turned.”