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New claims have emerged about the Duchess of Sussex before her big television interview with Oprah Winfrey at the weekend.
The times reports that royal advisers have “responded” to Meghan claiming that she faced “an intimidation complaint filed by one of her closest advisers,” according to the royal correspondent for the Valentine Low newspaper.
He writes that anonymous sources came to him because “they felt that only a partial version of Meghan’s two years as an active member of the royal family had emerged.”
Both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have gave an interview to her friend, American television star Oprah Winfrey, which will air on what CBS calls a “primetime special” on Sunday.
The complaint against Meghan, alleged in The Times, was filed in October 2018 by the couple’s then communications chief, Jason Knauf, who claimed that Meghan “expelled two personal assistants from the home and was undermining the trust of a third. staff member”.
At the time, Knauf was in charge of communications at Kensington Palace for both Prince William and Kate, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan.
He was also named at Meghan’s recent privacy case against the Mail on Sunday as the man appointed by the Palace to deal with the Duchess’s father, Thomas Markle, who had withdrawn from the royal wedding in 2018.
According to The Times, Knauf made the decision to “protect staff who, according to him, were under pressure” from Meghan.
The newspaper claims a source told it that Prince Harry pleaded with his communications secretary not to send the complaint.
The Times royal correspondent writes that he was approached by sources who wanted to talk about the “confusion” that existed between the time of Meghan’s arrival in 2017 and the couple’s decision to resign as royals in 2020.
But the moment in the story, just days before Harry and Meghan’s two-hour interview with Oprah airs, will turn heads.
And he reaffirms that the Sussexes and the rest of the institution are at war after their bitter split last month, when the Queen regained all the royal patronages she had bestowed on her grandson and wife.
The Times says Knauf wrote an email to Prince William’s former private secretary, Simon Case, after speaking with the Royal Household’s head of human resources.
Previous stories during Meghan’s time in the Royal Family hinted at discord with staff, but this is the first time claims have been made about a bullying complaint.
Attorneys for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex say The Times is “being used by Buckingham Palace to sell a totally bogus narrative” ahead of Oprah’s interview.
And a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan responded to the story saying: “The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been bullied and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma. .
“She is determined to continue her work generating compassion around the world and will continue to strive to set an example by doing what is right and doing what is good.”
ITV News has also reached out to Kensington Palace, Jason Knauf and Simon Case, who have not yet responded to our calls.
What’s next for Harry and Meghan? Listen to ITV news podcast, The Royal Rota
