The Palace is under fire after new details emerged in Meghan Markle's bullying investigation. Photo / AP
Buckingham Palace is being criticised over its decision to keep the findings of a “bullying” investigation against Meghan Markle under wraps after one of her former staff members came forward.
Longtime royal aide Samantha Cohen shed light on the allegations against the Duchess of Sussex in an interview with the Herald Sun, confirming that she was one of the 10 staffers interviewed during the investigation.
Markle has vehemently denied the allegations against her.
The latest news of the investigation – which is some of the only information that has come to light regarding the bullying claims – made headlines worldwide.
Royal expert Tom Bower has now warned that this is likely just the tip of the iceberg.
“It is hugely unfortunate that the bullying complaints have resulted in no resolution either way,” he shared with the Daily Mail.
“To date, the Palace lawyer’s investigation remains under lock and key, a situation which is hard on the accusers – and unfair to the accused.
“Now, finally, that dam has been breached – and I have no doubt that more will now emerge. The trickle of information will, soon enough, become a stream.”
Bower further pointed out that information emerging in this way was “unsatisfactory” and that the findings of the bullying investigation should have been made public.
“That’s not to prejudge the matter or say what the verdict will be. But it’s very much to the Palace’s discredit that, whatever truth we arrive at, it should have to emerge in this painful and unsatisfactory way,” he wrote.
During her first interview since stepping back from her role as a royal aide, Cohen touched on the Sussexes’ well-known high staff turnover.
“I was only supposed to stay for six months but stayed for 18 – we couldn’t find a replacement for me and when we did we took them on tour to Africa with Harry and Meghan to show them the ropes but they left as well while in Africa,” she shared with the Herald Sun.
Cohen was the late Queen’s press secretary for 17 years and then later worked as her assistant and private secretary.
She then became an aide for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex before walking away from royal work altogether in 2019.
In Valentine Low’s 2022 book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, it was claimed Cohen had been “treated harshly” and “screamed at” by Harry and Meghan, comparing the experience to “working with teenagers”.
Meanwhile, the results of the investigation, which were decided only a couple of days before the Sussexes’ tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview, were never revealed to the public.
Representatives for Meghan slammed the allegations at the time, claiming they were “being used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative based on misleading and harmful misinformation”.