Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have never been seen as saints by the majority of Americans — and the recent damaging allegations to surface won’t do them any favors.
Explosive new claims of the royal couple have labeled them as nothing short of “bullies” to their staff, which may be a huge obstacle when it comes to settling down into their new life in the United States, as well as Meghan’s upcoming release of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan.
Damning allegations against Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have arisen
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A profile released by Vanity Fair was the catalyst to the current wave of backlash.
Former employees of the Duchess of Sussex who worked with her on a podcast have spoken about the way she mistreated them, some even requiring “long-term therapy.”
A source told the outlet that Meghan was “really, really, really awful” and described her as “very painful” to work with.
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“She’s constantly playing checkers — I’m not even going to say chess — but she’s just very aware of where everybody is on her board,” they revealed. “And when you are not in, you are to be thrown to the wolves at any given moment.”
While the 43-year-old officially abandoned the project back in 2023, it had been created to “investigate, dissect and subvert the labels that try to hold women back,” featuring high-profiled guests such as Paris Hilton, Mariah Carey, and Serena Williams, as reported by Standard.
Former employees additionally mentioned that Meghan and Prince Harry repeatedly failed to create “consistent, successful” content and were allegedly turned down by Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Megan Thee Stallion as guests.
A few of Harry’s concepts also included reviewing hot chocolate every week and interviewing Putin and Donald Trump about being “sociopaths.”
Meghan was seen as a “really awful” person to work with
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These disastrous revelations being surfaced were nothing short of “devastating,” for Meghan, according to royal author and investigative journalist Tom Bower.
“Having invested so much to re-brand herself as a loving, caring Californian mother and wife, the VF disclosures have poisoned the smiling image of the welcoming home-maker,” Tom said.
What’s made worse is the “obvious breach” in the non-disclosure agreements her staff were “forced” to sign.
“Clearly their huge anger overcame any fear that she would seek legal retribution,” he added. “It’s a bad weekend.”
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Her husband, Prince Harry, was not mentioned as frequently, but his presence raised the eyebrows of some experts, as they labeled the Duke as someone who was “lost, out of his depth, and naive.”
As if things weren’t bad enough, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams warned how damaged their reputation in the US could become.
Harry’s portrayal by the Vanity Fair piece labeled him as someone who didn’t necessarily understand what “a successful career in show business actually involves.”
There’s no saying how these accusations will damage their reputation in the US
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The pair’s attempts to gain global support by putting a kind-hearted front even seem to be falling short amidst the rise of allegations.
“The Sussexes are attempting to project a caring image by helping some of those affected by the cataclysmic wildfires currently ravaging California. They won’t get far after publicity is given to this,” Fitzwilliams assured.
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He added that the two “have made so many accusations against the royal family. They, especially Meghan, now have a lot to answer. Nobody likes bullies, especially entitled bullies!
“It speaks volumes that the Sussexes were not available for interview.”
One comment left in the abovementioned Daily Mail article was a perfect echo of this statement.
“A caring image is just that. An image. There’s nothing behind it. No caring except to be seen. Using others to project any image,” they penned, while claiming that the “charitable donations” Meghan and Harry so often promote are merely a scam — with only 5% going to the respective charity.
Prince Harry was also labeled as someone who wasn’t able to succeed in show business
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Brand expert Nick Ede also offered his two cents on how these accusations were coming at a particularly bad time for the Sussexes.
“They don’t seem to be able to do anything right in the eyes of the media but now it seems in the eyes of their neighbors too,” he said.
“For such a well respected publication to go all out against the couple is bound to have negative effects on their brand and status and all eyes will be on them to see what happens next.”
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With Meghan being an American, their “obvious” goal has always been to be the “darlings” of the Hollywood elite nation, but it’s going to be significantly harder for them, given the tide turning against their desired narrative.
Ede noted, “With the backlash and accusations of ‘disaster tourism’ and postponement of her Netflix show through no fault of her own, there isn’t much they can do to win favor at the moment.”