Meghan Markle Responds To British Press Accusing Her Of 'Bullying'
Many people flooded Twitter to defend Meghan Markle against the latest attacks from the British press
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to sit down with Oprah for a highly-anticipated interview this weekend, and it appears the British royal family is quite pressed about it. The Times in the U.K. published a report this week that accuses Meghan Markle of “bullying” her staff while she was a working member of the royal family — and now the Duchess, who is currently expecting the couple’s second child, is responding personally to these claims.
The British press has made it something of a sport to drag Meghan Markle through the mud anyway they can, as they are typically motivated by racism and leaks directly from both Kensington and Buckingham Palace. Markle’s communications team has always denied any claims of staff mistreatment, but now the Duchess is personally speaking out about the matter in light of the newly published story.
“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,” a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a statement to PEOPLE. “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.”
In addition to the unsubstantiated complaints that the Duchess was confrontational to palace staff members during her time in the U.K., the Times also reports that we should all be gasping in horror that a pair of Markle’s earrings have unethical origins — hmm, maybe we should look into the ethics of all the royal family jewels, then! Surely if we’re going to start attacking Meghan Markle for a pair of earrings, we should hold the entire royal family accountable for their blood diamonds? Just a thought!
PEOPLE also reports the earrings were a wedding gift from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, who U.S. intelligence agencies have said approved the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Neither of the Sussexes was present at the time they were given to Buckingham Palace. Also, the standard protocol for all wedding gifts is that they remain property of The Crown.
Back in 2018, it was reported that the former communications secretary of the Sussexes claimed that the Duchess “drove two personal assistants out of the household and undermined the confidence of a third staff member.” And no one cared about that back in 2018 (at least no one outside of the U.K.), so it appears they’re resurfacing that particular story and adding in the gifted Saudi murder prince earrings for added effect.
Sussex supporters flocked to Twitter to defend them against this very obvious attempt to (disgustingly) control the narrative prior to the Oprah interview.
Prince Harry and Markle’s friends have been vocal about the attacks and lies she’s endured from the press through the years. In fact, it’s been primarily Prince Harry who has spoken up about this matter. It’s also worth noting that the British press would only publish claims like this if they were directly leaked from palace aides or members of the royal family — so take that as you will.
Basically, it’s safe to assume the royal family is shook over the possibilities of what subjects will be discussed during the Oprah interview. What’s truly amazing is that even now, over a year after Meghan and Harry stepped back from official royal duties and relocated to California, the press still thinks it’s acceptable to throw a Black woman under the bus.
The sit-down with Oprah airs this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
