Is she a bully? Or is she the one being bullied? Throughout her tumultuous time since joining the royal family, Meghan Markle, who wed Prince Harry in 2018, has detailed the harmful treatment she had to put up with as a biracial woman in The Firm. At the same time, the 43-year-old has been plagued for years by reports that she is “difficult” to work with. So much so that the Duchess of Sussex addressed the elephant in the room in her Archetypes podcast about the B-word (as in (obscenity). in 2022. “Difficult,” she stated, “is really just a euphemism – or is probably not even an euphemism – it’s really a code word for the B-word.” Now comes some more bad news. 

On September 12, The Hollywood Reporter detailed the copious turnover in the former Suits star and Harry’s household, including Josh Kettler, their chief of staff, who quit after three months in August. His departure followed a press secretary who left in 2022, a PR head who exited in 2021, and Meghan’s private secretary who left that same year. 

Other members of what some former staffers call the “Sussex Survivors Club” include the head of Harry and Meghan’s Archewell charity, as well as the foundation’s COO, content chief and marketing chief. “Everyone’s terrified of Meghan,” a source close to the couple told HR. “She belittles people, she doesn’t take advice. They’re both poor decision-makers, they change their minds frequently. 

Harry is a very, very charming person – no airs at all – but he’s very much an enabler. And she’s just terrible.” MEGHAN MARKLE IS RED-FACED Meghan is used to such allegations. In 2018, Buckingham Palace investigated her for “bullying behavior” of palace staffers, though the results of the inquiry were never released. The American divorcée, who later insisted that the palace refused to defend her from a racist press and denied her request to pursue mental-health care when she was suicidal, called the inquiry a “calculated smear campaign.” 

But the new report is particularly ugly, with one source telling the mag she threw tantrums and emailed at all hours, leading the staff to dub her “Duchess Difficult.” “She’s absolutely relentless,” said the source. “She marches around like a dictator in high heels, fuming and barking orders. I’ve watched her reduce grown men to tears.” The repeated allegations are embarrassing for Meghan and Harry, 40, as the parents to Archie, 5, and 3-year-old Lilibet have endeavored to paint themselves as a kinder version of the royal family in the same way Harry’s beloved late mother Diana did. 

Plus, it’s galling that Meghan, who has positioned herself as a feminist voice, is being criticized for speaking up for herself. “The feeling among Meghan’s friends is this is a sexist attitude,” an insider tells Life & Style. It rankles her that she’s continually raked over the coals for being tough when a man in her position wouldn’t be.” 

Indeed, the insider says many of the ex-staffers simply used the high-profile couple as “stepping stones” to get ahead in their careers. “They simply didn’t share the Sussexes’ vision,” adds the insider. “Meghan expects a lot out of her employees and has clear ideas of how things should be run.” MEGHAN MARKLE AND PRINCE HARRY’S WORK STRUGGLES Part of the problem may be that, four years into their U.S. residency, the duke and duchess are still somewhat flailing in their careers. 

They lost their Spotify deal, and while Harry’s tell-all memoir, Spare, was a hit, they’ve produced little programming to justify their $100 million Netflix deal. Then there’s Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard brand, which so far has managed to produce only a few jars of jam she’s sent to friends like Mindy Kaling, Chrissy Teigen and Kris Jenner. 

While Meghan continues to battle bad press, however, Harry will forever stand up for his bride. “Harry has nothing but pride for Meghan. Clearly, he sees a lot of his mother, Diana, in her, the parallels have not gone unnoticed,” says the insider. “He admires how she speaks her mind. Harry sees in Meghan only strength and fortitude.”

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