Meghan Markle has been branded ‘Duchess Difficult’ by her staff after claims she ‘scares’ and ‘belittles’ people, a damning report has revealed.
According to the Hollywood reporter, A source close to the couple claims Meghan “puts people down and doesn’t take advice.”
They also described the couple as “both bad decision makers” who “change their minds a lot”. Harry was called “a very, very charming person” but still “a real ally”.
The publication claimed that Megan was “absolutely ruthless” and that she “walked around like a dictator in high heels, raging and shouting orders”, adding: “I’ve seen her reduce grown men to tears”.
The new claims come as the couple prepare to celebrate the Duke of Sussex’s 40th birthday on Sunday. Multiple sources suggest the Duke is feeling increasingly lonely in the US and considers his security guard David Langdown his best friend.
Meghan Markle has been dubbed ‘Duchess Difficult’ by her staff, a report says, while Harry is said to be an ‘enabler’
The claims come after reports that the couple’s chief of staff, Josh Kettler, resigned in August after three months on the job.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens, Kensington Palace on November 27, 2017. The couple have developed a reputation for losing employees and are believed to have lost at least 18 workers since they married in 2018.
The new allegations come as part of an investigation into the exodus of staff who had worked for the Sussexes, including the couple’s chief of staff, Josh Kettler, who resigned in August after three months on the job.
Meghan’s “loud tantrums” and “angry 5 a.m. emails” have also earned her the nickname “Duckess Difficult” from her staff, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Megan was previously accused of bullying palace staff before the couple moved to California, prompting royal officials to launch an investigation into claims of Meghan’s “derogatory” behavior toward two personal assistants.
Staff were said to be in tears and feeling “traumatised”, with some comparing their condition to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Although no details of the report have ever been released, the duchess has vehemently denied the allegations, with her lawyers calling them a “calculated smear campaign” at the time.
The new reports follow The Mail on Sunday’s revelation last week that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s PR adviser, Christine Weir Schirmer, had quietly left late last year, after joining the couple in 2020 as head of communications for their charity Archewell.
News of Schirmer’s departure came just weeks after it was announced that Kettler had stepped down after a short stint with the couple.
Although Kettler was hired on a trial basis when he took on the role with Harry and Megan, People magazine reported that “the decision to part ways was a mutual one, with both parties agreeing it wasn’t the right fit.”
But Schirmer and Kettler’s departures only underscore the problems Meghan and Harry have long had when it comes to retaining their staff.
Toya Holness previously worked for the Sussexes as a global press officer
Megan was previously accused of bullying palace staff before she moved to California, prompting royal officials to launch an investigation into claims of Meghan’s “derogatory” behavior toward two personal assistants.
Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured with Josh Kettler (right) in Lagos
The couple is known for losing employees, having reportedly lost at least 18 workers since their marriage in 2018.
Since the couple left Britain for California in 2020, at least nine people have quit their jobs, including their international press officer Toya Holness and Meghan’s chief adviser and private secretary Samantha Cohen.
A spokesman for the Sussexes declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.
Meanwhile, Harry released a statement on Friday evening saying how happy he was to be turning 40: “Let the new decade begin.”
The Duke will celebrate the milestone privately on Sunday with Meghan and their children Archie, five, and three-year-old Lilibet.
According to Sky News, he is planning a weekend away with his best friends.
In his post, he paid tribute to his two “incredibly sweet and funny” children, adding that they had “sharpened his focus in all my work.”
Harry told the BBC: ‘Regardless of age, my mission is to continue to show and do good in the world. On to the next decade.’
Prince Harry has said he is excited to ‘ring in the next decade’ in preparation for his 40th birthday this weekend
Harry and Meghan pictured last month in Bogota during a visit to the Colombian capital
The Duke’s last decade has seen him become increasingly distant from his family, including his older brother Prince William, who hosted Harry’s 30th birthday party a decade ago
The rift between the couple and the royals widened after their Netflix series and Harry’s memoir Spare
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have not yet indicated whether they will do anything to mark Harry’s birthday.
Tensions within the royal family since Harry and Meghan left for the US in 2020 to start a new life have only increased in the years since, particularly after the publication of Harry’s memoir Spare in January last year.
He claimed his brother William, the Prince of Wales, 42, had called Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “hurtful” and even accused her older brother of pushing him into a dog bowl.
The latest conflict occurred on Monday, when a Netflix teaser for a documentary called Polo, produced by the Sussexes’ production company, was released, just hours after the Princess of Wales shared a video marking the end of her chemotherapy treatment.