So what is the truth about boss Meghan? After loyal staff heaped praise on Sussexes, now Duchess is accused of ‘chewing people up’

Meghan Markle was today described by former staff as someone who could be a “demon” and who treated some employees “like a trafficker” amid tense debate over her management style.

A palace courtier who reportedly worked for the Duchess of Sussex said she “witnessed people being beaten up in person and over the phone and was left feeling ‘bad,'” according to a new US media report.

Another former employee reportedly said that they “always thought she was a classic narcissist” and that she was “nice when things went her way, but a devil when they went wrong.”

The report in the Daily Beast Today follows two important recent articles published in America about Meghan – one of which was in the Hollywood reporter in which she criticized her as a “dictator in high heels,” and another in We weekly in which she praised her management style.

A spokesperson for Meghan and her husband Prince Harry confirmed to MailOnline today that they would not be commenting on the new article in the Daily Beast.

This comes as Harry attends events in New York this week, while Meghan and their children Archie and Lilibet are at home in Montecito, California.

A courtier who reportedly worked for Meghan and Harry when they were senior members of the royal family was quoted by the Daily Beast as saying, “I think Meghan’s bad moments after the bad mood surrounding Meghan’s resignation were magnified, distorted, and blown out of proportion.

‘That said, there were definitely bad, really bad… moments. I saw people being put down in person and over the phone and made to feel worthless.

“But it was an incredibly charged time and I’m inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt. She herself said she was suicidal at times.”

Another aide who worked with Meghan prior to her wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018 referenced the positive image painted in the Us Weekly article.

The aide told the Daily Beast: “I always thought she was a classic narcissist.”

They added: ‘She’s lovely when things are going well, but a devil when things aren’t.’

A third source told the Daily Beast that a florist was “booed off the phone” after she posted about a bouquet they were working on for her without naming Meghan as a client.

The source said: ‘They swore never to work with her again, despite her prestige as a client. If you worked for her, you were often treated like a professional who could be treated like shit.’

This is in response to allegations in a September 12 article in the Hollywood Reporter that “Duchess Difficult” reduced grown men to tears while “screaming” commands.

Staff members loyal to Harry and Meghan gave the couple a glowing report and a positive account of their working life in an article in Us Weekly yesterday.

Josh Kettler, Harry’s former chief of staff who left in August after just three months, said in the Us Weekly article that he was “warmly welcomed” by the Sussexes and called them “dedicated and hardworking.”

“It was impressive to see,” he added, without explaining why he left so quickly.

Ben Browning, Archewell’s former head of content who helmed the revealing Netflix documentary but left before his contract expired, said his experiences at the company and with Meghan and Harry in general had been “positive and supportive.”

Her current PR chief, “global press officer” Ashley Hansen, says they treated her with “the kind of care and concern a parent would show for their own child” when she took time off for surgery, and sent her flowers and gifts.

She added: ‘Meghan personally reached out to my husband every day to make sure we were okay and that we had support. It meant so much to him and even more to me. You don’t realise how much that kindness and attention means until you need it.’

Another anonymous source told Us Weekly, “This is the first company I’ve ever worked at [where I] everyone liked it. Harry and Meghan picked the best of the best from every field and watered the seeds so they could flourish. We have a huge microscope with us. But good things are happening.’

They said that during Zoom calls at work, Harry asks what the staff did over the weekend and that they plan events as a team, such as karaoke nights and “holiday parties.”

A former staff member said the Sussexes heard they had adopted a dog and “the next day there was a luxury branded leash and a new collar on the doorstep”.

Expectant parents will also receive ‘brand new gifts and second-hand items from the bride and groom themselves’, it was said. ‘Such as unused car seats and baby items that they no longer need.’

“They want to take care of us,” said one current employee. “Meghan does things like, ‘You said in the interview that your skin is irritating you. I put together a kit for you.'”

It was also claimed that no one left the couple’s Montecito home empty-handed.

“When employees go home, they always go home with a basket full of fresh flowers, fresh fruit, fresh eggs,” one employee said. “The best bosses I’ve ever had,” another current team member emphasized.

Also speaking with We weekly Yesterday, former Archewell boss Mandana Dayani said the “kindness, guidance and support” she has received from the Duke and Duchess “happens quietly behind closed doors”.

It stands in stark contrast to recent reports of a series of departures from their organization Archewell, which combines their media deals with philanthropic activities.

The Hollywood Reporter’s revealing story, which claims the Duchess is a “dictator in high heels,” allegedly comes from someone “in a high position” who still works for the couple, it is claimed.

The article also said that Meghan “doesn’t take advice” and “reduced grown men to tears” while “barking” orders.

The Hollywood Reporter also described the couple as “poor decision makers” who “change their minds often.”

Maer Roshan, the publication’s co-editor-in-chief, later said he still stands by the story, despite the negative reaction from the Sussexes’ supporters.

Mr Roshan said they had spoken to about a dozen people who have worked closely with Harry and Meghan “currently and in the past”.

He also told Access Hollywood that “our reporter spoke to a very senior source who works for the couple and he said everyone is terrified of Meghan.”

They say the Duchess ‘puts people down’ and ‘doesn’t take advice’.

While they have yet to make an official comment, a source “close” to Harry and Meghan denied the claims last week.

They also pointed out that the comment in her email signature stating that employees should not feel obligated to respond outside of normal business hours was further evidence that she was not demanding.

Meghan herself has always strongly denied any bullying of staff, claiming it was a “calculated smear campaign”.

Mr Roshan added: ‘Duchess Difficult is a nickname that has followed Meghan for a number of years.

“The new thing is that since coming to America, there has been a perception that many of these rumors are fabricated by the palace. The reporting that we have done suggests that this is probably not true. There is still an underlying fear.”

Buckingham Palace launched its own investigation after the bullying allegations were made public, but refused to release the findings.

Insiders previously told the Mail that she has never spoken to any former employees who have evidence to support claims she bullied several female staff members while living in the UK as a working royal.

The Mail also revealed that former staff called themselves the ‘Sussex Survivors Club’ and that some suffered from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder.