Meghan Markle’s Faces New Bullying Claims but They Seem To Contradict Her Soft Public Image

Meghan Markle probably thought her alleged bullying claims were behind her now that she and Prince Harry are safely tucked away in Montecito, Calif., but there seems to be a bit of smoke blowing back on them after some staffing issues. The Duchess of Sussex is being blamed for the exodus as she and Harry try to establish their business in the U.S.

Of course, no one is speaking on record — it is all sources talking behind the scenes to The Hollywood Reporter, who named the couple one of “the biggest Hollywood losers of 2023” — so take the claims with a grain of salt. The Sussex insider is sharing that the couple’s ex-employees call themselves the “Sussex Survivors Club.” The source said, “Everyone’s terrified of Meghan. She belittles people, she doesn’t take advice. They’re both poor decision-makers, they change their minds frequently. Harry is a very, very charming person — no airs at all — but he’s very much an enabler. And she’s just terrible.”

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle on stage for Global Citizen Concert 2021 NYC - Part 2, The Great Lawn in Central Park, New York, NY September 25, 2021. Photo By: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle on stage for Global Citizen Concert 2021 NYC – Part 2, The Great Lawn in Central Park, New York, NY September 25, 2021.


The source goes on to cite those 5 a.m. emails and “noisy tantrums” which have reportedly earned her the nickname, “Duchess Difficult.” A second insider added, “She’s absolutely relentless. She marches around like a dictator in high heels, fuming and barking orders. I’ve watched her reduce grown men to tears.” Nobody is really giving concrete evidence since it seems like they are repeating the 2018 bullying claims from her time in the royal family. An investigation occurred, but in 2022, the palace revealed that the findings would never see the light of day.

“Recommendations will be taken forward,” a source told The Daily Beast in June 2022. “Lessons have been learned.” However, no reforms were ever announced, leading the Sussexes to believe that they were exonerated even though the royal family did not want to admit it. The latest anonymous claims coming from the U.S. also belie the soft, nurturing image she has cultivated in the media. Her recent tours to Nigeria and Colombia show a woman who has a global interest in culture, education, and philanthropy. Meghan’s loving relationship with Harry also leans into that narrative.

Her longtime friends have also defended her over the years with their beliefs that the bullying issue is nonsense. Actress Janina Gavankar wrote on X in March 2021, “I have known Meghan for 17 years. Here’s what she is: kind, strong, open. Here’s what she’s not: ‘a bully.’ ANY of us who know her, feel the same thing from her broken silence: Relief. The truth shall set you free.” Jameela Jamil, Serena Williams, and Meghan’s makeup artist Daniel Martin have also voiced their support over the years. It’s a narrative Meghan would love to leave behind in her U.K. past, but the rumors seem to be following her to the U.S. for some reason.