Meghan Markle’s former aide breaks silence on bullying allegations
Meghan Markle was accused of forcing two Kensington Palace aides out in an informal email from 2018, which was subsequently leaked in 2021. Meghan Markle’s former aide Samantha Cohen has confirmed she was interviewed by staff at the Palace over allegations the Duchess of Sussex bullied members of staff and forced them to quit.
An internal email from 2018 outlining the claims was leaked to The Times in 2021, just days before Meghan and Prince Harry were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. The Duchess has always denied the allegations. Ms Cohen formerly worked as Meghan’s private secretary and spoke to Australian publication the Herald Sun, only admitting that she was one of ten staffers who were interviewed by Buckingham Palace as part of their investigations into the claims.
She added: “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 (quit) as well while in Africa.” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex toured southern Africa in 2019, just months before they stepped down as working royals and moved across the Atlantic. Jason Knauf, then-Kensington Palace communications secretary, sent the email to Prince William’s private secretary at the time Simon Case in October 2018.
He outlined: “I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X [name removed] was totally unacceptable. “The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y [name removed] and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y [name removed].” In December of that year a story in the Sunday Times about Ms Cohen’s plans to quit her role at Kensington Palace also alluded to the bullying claims.
The headline read: ‘Meghan loses second close aide, Samantha Cohen, as rumours swirl of ‘Duchess Difficult,’ while the article suggested she had sent requests to her aides as early as 5am. A source tellingly revealed to the publication that Ms Cohen’s replacement would need “reserves of energy and patience to help her define her future role”. The full-scale of the allegations were only made public days before Harry and Meghan were due to give their explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey, leading to the Sussexes claiming it was a deliberate smear.
They released a statement: “Let’s just call this what it is—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.”
Meghan’s lawyer Jenny Afia later told the BBC: “What bullying actually means is improperly using power, repeatedly and deliberately to hurt someone physically or emotionally. “The Duchess of Sussex has absolutely denied doing that. That said, she wouldn’t want to negate anyone’s personal experiences.”
