Meghan Markle demands to see evidence after palace hires outside lawyers to probe bullying claims

Meghan Markle has put in a formal request to see the evidence uncovered in Buckingham Palace's investigation into the bullying allegations against her. Meanwhile, the palace is bringing in outside lawyers to probe the matter.

"Meghan has written to Buckingham Palace demanding to see any documents, emails or text messages relating to the bullying complaint against her," a source told the Daily Mail. Another senior Palace source told the outlet that the office of the Duchess of Sussex has "written to request the evidence" from the royals as well.

Her request has reportedly been passed on to her father-in-law Prince Charles, whose "closest aides are now conducting a search of files." The investigation was ordered by the palace after a report came out in The Times last month, which claimed that Meghan drove two of her employees out of the Kensington Palace during her time as a senior royal.

"We are clearly very concerned about allegations in the Times following claims made by former staff of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Accordingly, our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article. Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned," the Palace said in its statement at the time.

"The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace," the statement further read.

According to recent reports in The Sun, the palace was initially planning to perform an in-house investigation, but is now considering bringing an independent law firm to conduct it. However, the details of the probe will still remain private.

"Our commitment to look into the circumstances around allegations from former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex is being taken forward but we will not be providing a public commentary on it," a palace spokesperson told People magazine.

While the Sussexes have dubbed the bullying claims "a smear campaign" against them by the palace, Meghan's friend Janina Gavankar recently claimed that the said employee had been fired for "gross misconduct."