This is a very sensitive time for the Sussexes, a point when their reputation can’t take hits, as Meghan Markle establishes her business while aiding Prince Harry with their many charities and events. No longer working royals, it is the couple’s goodwill personality and positive fame that keep their life running.
So when accusations of Meghan bullying her staff and being a dictator appeared in a dedicated, damning Hollywood Reporter piece, their promised success was once again tottering wildly on the knife’s edge. Alleged former employees told the outlet about her “noisy tantrums,” “angry 5 a.m. emails,” and how her fearful employees called her “Duchess Difficult” as she marched around “like a dictator in high heels, fuming and barking orders.”
If true, that’s quite a toxic work culture these words paint. It would be damaging to even a moderately famous individual’s reputation. This is the Duchess of Sussex (and by association, the Duke as well) we are talking about.
And as it happens in such instances, the accusations found another level…
… one where they were vehemently denied and shot down by current employees of the Suits star.
Because if she was that toxic to her former staff members, it should have been only natural for those working for her now to have similar experiences. But in a scathing GB News report, employees at the couples’ Archewell Foundation have not only refuted the claim of Meghan earning the nickname “Duchess Difficult,” but also systematically (and geographically) tore down why the targeted allegations attempting to smear her image don’t really “fly.”
“These quotes were fabricated by someone lacking knowledge of our company. The duke and duchess work from Montecito, and we’re based in Hollywood. They likely think we’re all in the same office and that this quote would fly, but the circumstances don’t even allow for it. If she’s ‘marching around’ and ‘barking orders’, no Archewell employee could factually claim that… It’s total nonsense.”
Coming to the 5am emails that the alleged accusers lamented about, the Archewell staff provided a very nonchalant response — “Who hasn’t sent an email when they can’t sleep or are awake early?”
As for the claims about these emails being “angry,” another staff member revealed that firstly, getting emails that early from Meghan is not the norm, and even when they do, they come with her usual email signature acknowledging that her employees reside in a different timezone than she does, and reminding them to respond only when their work day starts without feeling any kind of pressure to reply ASAP.
So, who to believe? The handful of former employees who were reportedly “reduced to tears” by Meghan, or the current staffers unable to connect with these demeaning allegations?