Meghan Markle Clashed With Her Aides Over This Surprising Topic

Days before the airing of her much-anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle came under fire after an incendiary media report. Emails from 2018 were obtained by The Times in London that paint the Duchess of Sussex in a truly unfavorable light. The emails allegedly document complaints from Prince Harry and Meghan's former communications secretary, Jason Knauf. Reportedly, he wrote that Meghan had been overly demanding and mistreated royal aides to the point that some decided to quit. According to Vanity Fair, an email from Knauf read: "I am very concerned the duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year ... The duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights." A separate source told The Times that royal officials knew that, quote, "members of staff, particularly young women, were being bullied to the point of tears." The Times' report claims that Harry "pleaded" with Knauf to not pursue the matter any further. Harry and Meghan responded with a statement where they called the report a hit piece that was deliberately released just before their Oprah interview aired. The statement read, "Let's just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation." As per the report, one of the issues Meghan allegedly had with her aides pertained to this topic. Markle's designer wardrobe has long been a point of contention since she began dating Prince Harry. According to The Sun, one of the big disputes between Meghan and the royal aides involved her receiving free designer clothes. At the time, she was still only Harry's girlfriend, but sources claimed the former Suits star was upset when she found out that free clothes were not permitted to be worn. A source told the publication, "As an actress it was perfectly acceptable to take freebies sent by fashion chains and designer labels. But Meghan had to be told it was not the done thing when you are a member of the royal family." The Daily Mail reported that it was common to see Meghan decked out in designer brands such as Chanel, Prada, and Dior during her time in Kensington Palace. Since she was not permitted to accept free clothing, the former actress allegedly rang up exorbitant bills for her sartorial interests, including spending nearly $150,000 dollars during her and Harry's 16-day Pacific tour. Meghan has been targeted by the British press in the past, and according to Vanity Fair was supposedly nicknamed "Duchess Difficult" back in 2019. A source close to the royal couple told Elle that these claims were false. The source said, "She's actually well-liked by her staff, and people were excited by her ideas and enthusiasm." While Meghan Markle faces accusations of bullying her former staff, especially over the issue of free clothing, it's worth looking back on the royal traditions around the concept. Royals are famously not allowed to accept free goods, so this rule isn't specific to Meghan. Since items often sell out after Meghan or her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, are spotted wearing them, it makes sense that designers want to get their items into the hands of these high-profile women. However, as Vogue stated, quote, "neither Middleton nor Markle ever receive gifted outfits." What happens instead for royals is that their stylists "call in designer items on loan but they will then be returned," per Vogue. Should the royal then wish to keep the item, they purchase it. The income to purchase said clothing comes from Prince Charles' estate, the Duchy of Cornwall, according to People, which brings in an income of about $28 million dollars. So if these allegations are in fact true, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to Meghan. It's just the nature of royal life. #MeghanMarkle #Royals #RoyalFamily