Sussexes ‘not informed’ of bullying inquiry
Latest snippet of Sussexes’ interview shows Duchess accusing royal household of ‘perpetuating untruths’
THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex expect to be notified if formal allegations of bullying are made against them by Buckingham Palace, it is understood.
The couple have not been contacted about the investigation into claims that their staff were bullied and left “broken”, “terrified” and “shaking”.
The unprecedented inquiry will be headed by an HR manager from the Royal Household, who will invite Sussex employees past and present to be interviewed about their experiences in a bid to improve policies and ensure “lessons have been learnt”.
Senior aides are expected to take part in the investigation amid claims the bullying allegations might have been passed up to Clive Alderton, the Prince of Wales’s private secretary.
A palace aide indicated that the Duke and Duchess would not be involved, or even informed, about the process, carefully
billed as an internal “review” for staff rather than a formal investigation.
This is despite the fact that the allegations relate directly to the couple’s behaviour towards their staff, which prompted a formal complaint to HR in October 2018 that was not pursued.
The allegations come days before the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah Winfrey is broadcast. In a clip released yesterday, the Duchess refers to “the Firm” “perpetuating falsehoods about us”.
A source close to the Sussexes said the couple had not been informed of the investigation by Buckingham Palace and had no idea about its scope.
Asked if they would want to be involved, or to have the right of reply, the source said: “If it was an investigation into them, there would have to be a formal process where we would have to be involved. A formal HR investigation involves formal accusations.”
A palace source said the review would be confined to a specific time
frame and would give staff who worked for the Sussexes a chance to detail their experiences. Some of the Duchess’s clashes with staff are said to have been over whether she could keep free clothes sent to her by top designers.
Suggestions that it would be a breach of royal protocol to keep the outfits reportedly led to heated exchanges.
A palace aide said: “If anyone wants to bring up a specific complaint or tensions and discuss where they came from that is fine. But the focus of the review will be on how it was handled.”
Aides have admitted it was “clearly concerning” that the complaints were not investigated properly at the time.
Boris Johnson said he still had full confidence in his top civil servant Simon Case after it was claimed he had been informed about alleged bullying of staff while working as the Duke of Cambridge’s private secretary.
THE DUCHESS of Sussex has accused Buckingham Palace of “perpetuating falsehoods”, alluding to her belief that royal aides leaked stories about her and Prince Harry and failed to defend them from untruths.
In a preview clip from her interview with Oprah Winfrey, to be broadcast in the US on Sunday, the Duchess referred to the Royal family as “the Firm”.
The Duchess, 39, acknowledged that speaking out came with “risk” but said a lot had been “lost already” and that they should not be expected to remain silent.
It was the second excerpt of the interview released by US network CBS ahead of the two-hour special, which will be broadcast in the UK on Monday on ITV.
The 30-second clip was the first time the Duchess has been heard giving a full answer to one of Winfrey’s questions.
It is thought to have been released in reaction to this week’s revelations that the Duchess had been accused of bullying staff, although the interview was recorded before the allegations became public knowledge. “They obviously want to maximise their content,” a source close to the Duchess said of CBS. “They are very clever at making intoxicating TV.”
The interview has caused consternation in palace quarters, not least as it coincides with the Duke of Edinburgh’s longest ever hospital stay. Aides have signalled their intention to distance themselves from the programme. One said: “We are trying to maintain a dignified silence. It’s a media circus and we do not want to be drawn into it.”
Members of the Royal family have not requested, and have not been offered, advanced sight of the recording or a transcript and are expecting to watch it “like everybody else”.
The rights to the two-hour programme, which was extended by 30 minutes after the interview was conducted, have been sold in more than 17 countries from Australia to Norway as well as Sub-saharan Africa. The Sussexes are not being paid for the interview, which will net a fortune for CBS and Winfrey’s production company Harpo.
In the latest clip, Winfrey asks: “How do you feel about the Palace hearing you speak your truth today?”
The Duchess replies: “I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that the Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us.
“And if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean, I’ve … there’s a lot that’s been lost already.”
Your truth
This is an American term that has been used by the Duchess herself. Winfrey is alluding to the fact that the Royal family and the “grey suits” at Buckingham Palace will hear the Duchess’s own version of events for the first time. By speaking
“her truth” the Duchess will be providing her own perspective and opinion.
But the use of the word suggests that other people’s versions of those events have not been truthful.
The Sussexes have become ardent followers of Brené Brown, an American self-help guru, who says: “You either walk into your story and own your truth, or you live outside of your story, hustling for your worthiness.”
Silence
The Duchess’s reference to the perceived expectation that the couple would remain silent reflects her belief that she lost her voice when she married into the Royal family.
She felt unable to defend herself from inaccurate reports and was frustrated with Kensington Palace’s communications policy of not commenting on press reports. Specifically, she is understood to have been angry that stories about her relations with staff as well as criticism by her own family were ignored.
As an actress she had a platform and a social media presence that allowed her to control her own image.
The Duchess views this interview as the most effective way to regain her voice. In another clip, Winfrey asks her: “Were you silent, or were you silenced?”
The Firm
A source close to the Duchess said she did not refer to individual family members when discussing the problems she encountered at the palace.
She has always blamed the wider institution for the way she was treated.
“She has never targeted individuals, that’s not what she’s about,” one aide said. “I’d be amazed if she names specific people in the interview, she has always believed this was an institutional issue.”
Court documents from the Duchess’s privacy action last year revealed that she felt “unprotected by the institution, and prohibited from defending herself ” – references that are understood to refer to the palace machinery.
In the biography, Finding Freedom, the villains were “the men in grey suits” whom she believed were intent on reining in the Sussexes’ global popularity.
However, one of the complainants who spoke to The Times about allegations of bullying claimed that it was “the Firm” that protected her and criticised the palace for failing to act on the allegations. One said: “The institution just protected Meghan constantly.”
Perpetuating falsehoods
This is a reference to the Duchess’s belief, robustly denied by the Palace, that senior aides had leaked information about her to the media as well as its failure to defend her.
Among the stories she is adamant were leaked by the palace is the revelation that she and the Duke were planning to step down as working royals.
While the interview was recorded before the bullying allegations came to light, their assertion that the claims were made as part of a “calculated smear campaign” reflect this narrative.
Last night, it was reported that while she was still a senior royal, the Duchess felt briefings about her were being made to the media by the households of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
‘If that comes with risk of losing things I mean, I’ve … there’s a lot that’s already been lost’
A lot that’s been lost already
The Sussexes’ decision to move abroad and step back from their lives as working royals caused cataclysmic change to their personal and professional lives.
The Duke has moved thousands of miles from his family, and his close relationship with his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, has been shattered.
The Duchess’s marriage ultimately led to the breakdown of her relationship with her own father.
The couple also lost all of their royal patronages and the Duke was devastated to lose his honorary military titles after the Queen said they could not have “one foot in and one foot out” of royal life.