9 Moments That Might Prove Meghan Markle Is A Bully

Meghan Markle has faced some pretty terrible accusations over the course of her relationship with Prince Harry. Amongst those accusations are claims that the Duchess of Sussex is a bully — that she's treated her staff and those collaborating on her various projects with disrespect, reportedly causing some to break down in tears and others to up and quit their jobs. Both Markle and her husband have denied the ongoing chatter, but the stories haven't stopped. Several people have come forward to accuse Markle of being unkind in the workplace. The Royal Family even launched an investigation into some of the claims, though the outcome was never shared publicly.

The stories and accusations have upset Markle, according to Prince Harry. "I was woken up in the middle of the night to her crying into her pillow because she doesn't want to wake me up because I'm already carrying too much. That's heartbreaking. I held her, we talked, she cried, and she cried, and she cried," he said on his Apple+ TV special, "The Me You Can't See," according to Newsweek. However, Markle still has her critics, including several accusers who, according to sources, have doubled down on their statements in recent years. Here is a breakdown of the allegations against the Duchess of Sussex.

After Meghan Markle officially entered the royal fold, she received a staff to help her domestically and in her various duties as a senior working member. Some of these staff members have come forward with claims that Markle bullied them while they worked for her. In March 2021, just ahead of Markle and Prince Harry's viral interview with Oprah Winfrey, Valentine Low quoted numerous sources in the Sunday Times. "Meghan put a lot of demands on her and it ended up with her in tears," one source said about Markle's personal assistant, who left her role six months after the royal wedding. "I had unpleasant experiences with her. I would definitely say humiliated," a former staffer told the outlet separately.

The Sunday Times notes that some of Markle's staffers had signed non-disclosure agreements. This could be why the people who have spoken out have done so anonymously. "I feel terrified," another source said. "I can't stop shaking." 

Jason Knauf, a former communications secretary for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, has shared some pretty damning information about the Duchess of Sussex and how she treated her staff — allegedly. It was Knauf who reportedly filed a harassment complaint against the Duchess of Sussex, according to Page Six. Knauf was a trusted royal advisor who'd worked for Kensington Palace since 2015. After the case was filed, it was leaked and quickly became tabloid fodder. 

"I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year," he said in an email sent to Prince William's private secretary, Simon Case, according to the Sunday Times. "The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y (name removed) and seeking to undermine her confidence. I remain concerned that nothing will be done," he added. 

Knauf is still very much involved in the inner workings of the royal family and took a job working closely with Prince William. According to the New York Post, Knauf is the CEO of the Earthshot Prize, which William founded in 2020. Months prior, Knauf sat down for an interview with "60 Minutes Australia" in which he discussed his prior accusations about Markle. "You can't choose just to take the fun stuff in any job, and that applies to the prince and princess as well as everyone else working for them. So, I wouldn't change anything," he said.

Meghan Markle was relatively quick to respond to the claims made against her, and statements were made on her behalf. "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," Markle's spokesperson said in a statement shared with People magazine. 

In a separate statement given to ABC News, another royal spokesperson called the whole situation a "calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation." Despite vehemently denying the claims brought against her, Markle has never issued an apology to the people who claim to have been affected by her alleged actions. 

As information continued to come out from sources claiming to be familiar with Meghan Markle's antics, the palace decided to step in and launch an investigation. "We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex," the palace said in a statement, per People. "Accordingly, our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article. Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned. The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace."

However, anyone hoping for some sort of concrete evidence about whether Markle did or did not bully staffers was simply out of luck. Details of the palace's investigation were kept completely private, and the results were never publicly released. It seems as though the results of the investigation were moot either way, given the fact that Markle and Prince Harry had already stepped down as senior working royals and were establishing a new life in the United States. The decision to keep the report private didn't help Markle much, though, as Newsweek reported that there was a great deal of backlash in response.

Reports that Meghan Markle was bullying staff behind closed doors even spawned a book or two. Valentine Low penned "Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown," which was released in 2022. Low quoted various insiders and sources who spoke out about Markle's alleged mean streak. "There were a lot of broken people. Young women were broken by their behaviour," read one quote, according to Page Six. 

The staffer recounted an incident with Markle, who allegedly said, "Don't worry. If there was literally anyone else I could ask to do this, I would be asking them instead of you." At another point in the book, a source stated, "Every 10 minutes, I had to go outside to be screamed at by her and Harry. It was, 'I can't believe you've done this. You've let me down. What were you thinking?' It went on for a couple of hours."

One of the most notable reports suggesting that Meghan Markle is a bully relates to her royal wedding. Markle was accused of making Kate Middleton cry over the dresses that the bridesmaids — including Princess Charlotte — would wear. However, Markle denied this during her interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. "The reverse happened," Markle told Winfrey. "She was upset about something. She owned it and bought me flowers," she added (via Newsweek).

Because Kate didn't speak out about the reports — which is par for the course within the Royal Family — royal expert Katie Nicholl defended the future queen, saying that Kate was "saddened, disappointed, and hurt" by Markle's comments on the situation (via OK!). "Kate is not in a position to respond, and Meghan and Harry know that," she continued, adding, "Kate is so discreet and respects her personal life. You never hear about her falling out with anyone because she is very careful with how she treats others. Kate and William both feel they were hugely welcoming to Meghan and Harry. Any accusations against the monarchy are accusations against their family."

Some people have wondered why Meghan Markle's former staffers didn't come forward with their complaints straight away — or why they've only shared information anonymously. Aside from the aforementioned NDAs, which could be a factor, author Valentine Low said it was because these people were afraid of retaliation. 

"There were strong elements of nervousness and worry," Low said on the Unfiltered podcast. "Some of them were still in a very fragile state," he continued, adding, "It was two and a half years later. They'd left the employ of the Royal Family and they still were in a psychologically delicate state as a result of what happened to them at that time." Low also said that Markle's former employees "were very worried about what Meghan would do to them." 

Although Meghan Markle and Prince Harry did what they felt they needed to do to get away from the British media and the negativity surrounding their personal lives, the bullying allegations against the Duchess of Sussex have continued in the U.S. While Markle's Archetypes podcast was in the works, sources say that Markle ran a tight ship. 

A source told Vanity Fair it was "really, really, really awful. Very painful. Because she's constantly playing checkers — I'm not even going to say chess — but she's just very aware of where everybody is on her board. And when you are not in, you are to be thrown to the wolves at any given moment... [it's] undermining. It's talking behind your back. It's gnawing at your sense of self. Really, like, 'Mean Girls' teenager."

After Spotify cancelled Archetypes, there were reports that others who worked for Markle ended up leaving their positions. In October 2025, People magazine reported that Markle's director of communications, Emily Robinson, left her role after just four months. "She did an excellent job and completed these projects with great success," a spokesperson said of Robinson, who reportedly left the role on her own accord. Robinson was just one of "several communications staffers" who'd left the post in "recent years," per the outlet. 

There are some people who have spoken out about Meghan Markle publicly, without being anonymous. One of those people is journalist Megyn Kelly. During an episode of "The Megyn Kelly Show" alongside Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy, Kelly called Markle a "bully" — and there were no mincing words, per the Daily Mail. "She's a bully, all the young women who worked for her quit in tears, she wore them down, she was so nasty," Kelly said. "Then when she started her own company, similar reports were coming out from Montecito that nobody can work for her, she's a nightmare behind the scenes," she added.

Kelly certainly isn't the only celebrity who believes that Markle is a bully. British journalist Piers Morgan has made his feelings on Markle very clear, too. While chatting with Kelly on a different episode of her show, Morgan discussed a Vanity Fair report that claimed that two of Markle's employees working for her while she was recording her Archetypes podcast had taken a leave of absence. "[Meghan] in particular is a nasty little bully who sends staff into therapy," Morgan said.