Buckingham Palace brings in an external law firm to conduct bullying investigations

Buckingham Palace will bring in an external independent law firm to investigate allegations that the Duchess of Sussex has bullied royal staff.

In an increase in the stance between the two parties, Meghan Markle wrote to the palace demanding to see documents, emails or text messages about the bullying charge against her, The Mail on Sunday may reveal.

But in an unprecedented move that will undoubtedly increase tensions further, the royal staff decided that a third party should take the reins, rather than the internal investigation first announced, according to The Sunday Times.

A senior Palace assistant accused Meghan of ‘unacceptable behavior’ towards two personal assistants and undermining the trust of a third party, which led to the investigation that will be given to a law firm.

Former and current royal assistants barred from testifying in court during Meghan’s recent direct privacy battle are expected to speak to the investigation.

But as a clear indication that the Duchess is preparing to fight back against what she called “a ‘smear campaign’, a senior Palace source confirmed that her office ‘wrote to request evidence’.

In response, the Queen passed the request on to the Prince of Wales, whose closest assistants are now searching files.

Meanwhile, it appeared on Saturday night that William and Harry were ‘in touch’ for the first time since last Sunday’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, reports the Sunday Times.

In the interview, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made shock waves with accusations of racism against ‘The Firm’.

In February, two senior members of the royal staff claimed to have been bullied by Meghan, and a third said they had been personally ‘humiliated’ and claimed that two staff members had been bullied.

Meghan denied the allegations.

However, according to a royal source, The Times said: ‘The real worst cases have not yet come out. There are some disturbing stories to tell. ‘

“There can be a lot in the laundry that has not been told,” another source told the newspaper.

The Sussexes are not expected to be invited to take part in the investigation, although they wrote about it at Buckingham Palace, a decision that could further widen the gap between the royal family and the couple.

The news that Meghan is preparing for a battle with the palace to defend her reputation is:

• The 94-year-old queen will continue with the planned appointments this week to continue the ‘business as usual’ approach, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave their bombing interview to Oprah Winfrey;

• Meghan’s friend Janina Gavankar joined the fightback effort, claiming that one of the PAs was fired for ‘gross misconduct’ and did not leave due to bullying;

• Omid Scobie, co-author of the Sussexes’ biography Finding Freedom, said he saw an email from Meghan asking staff to correct a story she had made the Duchess of Cambridge cry;

• Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation has announced that they will support several charities, including Mind, the mental health charity, Color of Change, an American civil rights organization, and PressPad, which wants to improve media diversity;

• In a former post on Meghan’s blog The Tig it appears that she knows all about the ‘splendor and circumstances surrounding the royal wedding and the endless conversation about Princess Kate’ – it seems to contradict her that she has little knowledge of the royal family had before she met. Harry;

• The palace said race issues raised in Harry and Meghan’s interview – particularly the suggestion that a family member raise questions and concerns about the color of their unborn son’s skin – would be taken seriously and addressed privately. .

Allegations about the behavior of Meghan’s bullies angered the Sussexes.

The accusation first came to light earlier this month when an email sent by Jason Knauf, the couple’s press secretary at the time, was leaked to The Times newspaper.

Knauf was written in October 2018 when the Sussexes were still living in Kensington Palace: ‘I am very concerned that the Duchess has been able to bully two PAs from the household in the past year. The treatment of X [Name redacted] was totally unacceptable.

“The Duchess apparently always wants someone in her sights. She bullies Y and wants to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report of people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y. ‘

The email was sent to Simon Case, then the Duke of Cambridge’s private secretary and now the cabinet secretary, after Knauf’s talks with Samantha Carruthers, the head of HR at the palace.

In his email, Knauf said that Carruthers ‘agreed with me in all respects that the situation is very serious’.

He added: “I remain concerned that nothing will be done.”

Buckingham Palace said he was’ clearly very concerned ‘about the allegations, adding:’ People involved at the time, including those who left the household, will be invited to take part to see if lessons can be learned. ‘

But the Duchess’s spokeswoman slammed back, saying she was ‘saddened by this latest attack on her character, especially as someone who was the target of bullying herself and committing herself to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma’ .

The palace had hoped that any investigation would be a private matter, but it seems less likely now that friends of the Duchess have apparently been approved to defend Meghan in public.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to a request for comment.