Meghan Markle's Lawyer Has Something New To Say About Those Bullying Claims

Is Meghan Markle actually a bully? Well, as it turns out, her lawyer has some choice words on the situation.

To recap, the Duchess of Sussex became ensnared in controversy when her former aide, Jason Knauf, reported her alleged bad behavior toward other royal staffers during her time across the pond. Filing an HR complaint, Knauf stated, "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" (via Page Six).

He continued, saying, "The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights" and "[s]he is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y." The two PAs Meghan allegedly bullied out of the palace went on to "rescind" said complaints after learning Knauf reported the incidents without their permission (per Page Six).

A rep for Meghan called the incident "a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation," per Harper's Bazaar. Now, Meghan Markle's lawyer is making her voice heard on the situation.

Speaking on a BBC podcast, Meghan Markle's lawyer and known celebrity defender Jenny Afia opened up about the bullying allegations lodged against her client and swiftly put them to rest. Noting that the term "bullying" is "used very, very casually," Afia defined the term as "improperly using power repeatedly and deliberately to hurt someone, physically or emotionally" (via Daily Mail). "The Duchess of Sussex absolutely denies ever doing that."

Elaborating on its casual use, Afia recalled that her "daughter called me a bully last week when I asked her to brush her teeth — she's seven years old." She added that "the term is used very freely and it's a very, very damaging term as we know, particularly I think for career women." In knowing the Duchess of Sussex, however, "I can't believe she would ever do that. I wasn't there at the time but it doesn't match my experience of her at all and I've seen her at very, very stressful times."

In December, royal biographer Christopher Andersen opened up about Meghan's bullying allegations and pinned it on "a culture clash" with her American upbringing. "Particularly within the royal household they're very indirect in the way they do things," the biographer told Insider. "The kind of plain-spoken, upfront personality, distinctly American approach that Meghan has to getting things done just rubs them the wrong way."