Meghan Markle accuses royal aides of 'smear campaign' with bullying claims ahead of Oprah interview

Meghan Markle is facing bullying accusations from former palace aides just days before the release of her and Prince Harry's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey on March 7, Sunday.

A report from The Times on Tuesday cited two aides who claimed they worked for the Duchess of Sussex when she was at Kensington Palace. They said she was nothing like the charming and compassionate person she tries to show to the public. Behind closed doors in the palace, she was allegedly mean and her unacceptable behaviour drove two personal assistants out of the palace and she "undermined the confidence of a third staff member."

Insiders told the publication that Meghan Markle "humiliated" at least one former staff and another said her behaviour felt "more like emotional cruelty and manipulation..."

"Senior people in the household, Buckingham Palace and Clarence House, knew that they had a situation where members of staff, particularly young women, were being bullied to the point of tears," a source told the publication.

Jason Knauf, who at the time served as her and Prince Harry's communications secretary, filed the complaint in October 2018 in an "effort to get Buckingham Palace to protect staff who he claimed were coming under pressure from the duchess." According to a source, the Duke of Sussex pleaded with Knauf not to pursue it.

He eventually raised the bullying concerns with Samantha Carruthers, HR head of the palace, then emailed Prince William's private secretary Simon Case. In his email, Knauff talked about the reports they have received from "people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour" from the duchess. The treatment of the staff was said to be the catalyst for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's split from Prince William and Kate Middleton's household.

However, a spokesperson for the duchess denied the bullying allegations and called them a "calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation."

"We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of The Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet. It's no coincidence that distorted several-year-old accusations aimed at undermining The Duchess are being briefed to the British media shortly before she and The Duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience of recent years," the spokesperson wrote in a letter sent to The Times.

Meghan Markle 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." Despite the allegations, the duchess "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 their Oprah interview, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will touch on a wide range of conversations. As teased in the preview, there will be "no subject that's off limits."