Meghan Markle’s Future Uncertain as Buckingham Palace Inquiry Report Looms

A year ago, Meghan Markle was at the center of a Buckingham Palace inquiry into allegations of bullying by her staff.

No findings have been revealed yet, but the HR department of the Palace announced that it would investigate the matter on March 3, 2021, with the results expected to be published in the Sovereign Grant Report, an annual document that covers royal finances.

Markle has always denied the allegations, but one employee accused her of treating them in a totally unacceptable way, while another claimed she undermined their confidence.

The timing of the report's release may be awkward since it usually comes towards the end of June, which is the same month that Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations will take place over four days.

The events celebrating the Queen's 70 years on the throne from June 2 to June 5 will include a military parade, a pageant, and a star-studded concert at the Palace.

If the review makes any criticisms of Markle, it could reignite tensions between the couple and the Palace.

It's unclear what the report will contain, but if it does contain criticisms, it's likely that Markle and Prince Harry will want to respond to them.

Royal expert Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent, suggested that the review may have been shelved for reputational reasons.

He wrote on Twitter, “One year on, the long grass at Buckingham Palace is proving helpful.”

Last year, rumors circulated that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's former nanny was planning on releasing a tell-all about the couple.

The nanny allegedly worked for Prince Harry and Markle in the United States, and she was recently laid off.

So, the unnamed nanny allegedly decided to pen a tell-all that would paint a very different picture of Prince Harry and Markle.

However, royal commentator Duncan Larcombe said that it's possible the reports are nothing more than rumors.

After all, this isn't the first time Prince Harry and Markle's staff have been accused of shading them.

After the couple's Megxit last year, multiple reports claimed that Prince Harry and Markle were disliked even by their staff.

Markle was also accused of bullying her own staff members because she's not used to handling them in the same way that the British royals have been doing.

But the reports died naturally when Markle challenged the staff to reach out to her and tell her what happened.

The suits alum has also denied ever mistreating a staff member.

Initially, the palace's HR department was tasked with running the review, but an outside legal firm was later called in.

The saga was triggered by the publication in the Times of an email sent by then Kensington Palace Press Secretary Jason Knauf to Prince William's private secretary.

Prince Harry and Meghan used to be based at Kensington Palace.

The email read, “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, name redacted, was totally unacceptable.

The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights.

She is bullying Y, name removed, and seeking to undermine her confidence.

We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards Y, name removed.”

Jenny Affia, an attorney for the Duchess, maintained in November that Meghan had not bullied her staff but appeared to soften the stance a little in comments on a BBC documentary The Princes and the Press.

She said, “The overall allegation was that the Duchess of Sussex was guilty of bullying.

Absolutely not.”

She added, “That said, she wouldn't want to negate anyone's personal views.”