Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s loyal staffers have rushed to their defence, following reports she has been nicknamed ‘Duchess Difficult’ by employees.
Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporter published an explosive piece about the couple losing staff members, in which Meghan was branded a “dictator in high heels”.
The outlet quoted a “source close to the couple”, who claimed: “Everyone’s terrified of Meghan. She belittles people, she doesn’t take advice.”
The insider continued: “They’re both poor decision-makers, they change their minds frequently. Harry is a very, very charming person — no airs at all — but he’s very much an enabler. And she’s just terrible.”
The publication reported that Meghan’s alleged “penchant for noisy tantrums and angry 5am emails” had earned her the in-house moniker ‘Duchess Difficult’ over in the US.
Another source claimed: “She’s absolutely relentless. She marches around like a dictator in high heels, fuming and barking orders. I’ve watched her reduce grown men to tears.”
A source close to Harry and Meghan rejected the claims last week, insisting the allegations were false.
And now, several current and former staff members have heaped praise on the Duke and Duchess.
Josh Kettler, Harry’s chief of staff who left after just three months in August, told US Weekly that he was “warmly welcomed” by the pair, and described them as “dedicated and hardworking”.
He said it was “impressive to witness”, but did not elaborate on why he left his role so soon.
Meanwhile, the couple’s current PR chief and “global press secretary” Ashley Hansen said they treated her with “the kind of concern and care a parent would express if it were their own child” when she took time off to undergo surgery.
She told the outlet: “Meghan would personally reach out to my husband daily to make sure that we both were OK and had support. It meant so much to him and even more to me. You don’t realise how much that kind of kindness and thought means until you need it.”
A former staffer claimed the couple heard that they had adopted a dog, and “the next day, I had a luxury brand leash and new collar on my doorstep”.
The publication also reported that parents-to-be are given “brand-new gifts and top-notch secondhand stuff from the couple themselves like unused car seats and baby items they no longer need”.
A current employee gushed: “They want to take care of us. Meghan will do things like, ‘You mentioned on the call your skin is bothering you, I put together a kit for you.’
“Whenever staff goes to their house, they leave with a basket with fresh flowers, fresh fruit, fresh eggs.”
Another current staffer insisted the couple are the “best bosses I have ever had”.
While former and current staffers have jumped to their defence, Maer Roshan, Co-Editor in Chief of The Hollywood Reporter, has said he stands by the story.
Mr Roshan told Access Hollywood that they spoke to around a dozen people who have worked closely with Harry and Meghan “now and previously”.
He said: “Our reporter talked to a very high up source who works for the couple and said: ‘Everyone is terrified of Meghan’.
“Duchess Difficult is a nickname that has trailed Meghan Markle for quite a few years.
“What is new is that this notion, since coming to America, that a lot of these rumours were manufactured by the Palace and the reporting that we did suggests that probably isn’t true and there is still this undercurrent of fear.”
“Two things can be possible at once. The couple does help a lot of people,” he continued.
“Meghan and Harry declined to comment on our story. I think Meghan would have said that barking around orders is something that we expect from men and it would never raise an eyebrow.”
The Duchess had previously been accused of bullying palace staff before they relocated to the US, prompting royal aides to launch an inquiry.
It was claimed that Meghan left royal staffers “traumatised”, but the former actress strongly denied these claims, and her lawyers branded the allegations a “calculated smear campaign” at the time.