Latest news with #SussexSurvivorsClub
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Meghan Markle left a 'trail of evidence' so she could 'hijack the narrative' following Megxit, royal author claims
While at long last relations between the Sussexes and the rest of the family appear to be thawing, for the staff that worked under Prince Harry and Meghan Markle the bad blood will likely remain. Indeed, those who worked closest with the couple - who called themselves the Sussex Survivors' Club - accused the couple of bullying during their brief period as working royals. But they themselves then faced claims from Meghan that they had failed in their duty of care after the Duchess of Sussex said in her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey that there was a point during that time when she didn't want to live anymore. Writing in his biography about the staff who serve the royals - titled Courtiers - author Valentine Low said the palace 'needed evidence of the duty of care the organisation had showed them [the Sussexes]'. And so Harry and Meghan's former aide Samantha Cohen and key courtiers Sir Edward Young - the late Queen's private secretary - and the King's private secretary Sir Clive Alderton agreed that evidence would be gathered by the aides to quash any claims Harry and Meghan had not been properly looked after. But Mr Low wrote that Meghan was already leaving a 'trail of evidence behind, so that when the time came for them [Harry and Meghan] to leave the monarchy, she would be able to say: look how they failed to support me'. Such as when Meghan went to HR for help and was given a 'sympathetic hearing' but the department was ultimately there to deal with 'employee issues, not members of the Royal Family'. Samantha and the other courtiers were aware of bullying allegations lodged against the Sussexes as early as 2018. 'Samantha The Panther', as she was known, told Australian media last year that she was one of ten staff members interviewed by the Palace following the complaints. Meghan during her Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021. Royal author Valentine Low claimed she 'hijacked the narrative' which at first quashed any complaints about her own behaviour However, it was Meghan that won in the battle to air her grievances first when - according to Mr Low - she 'hijacked the narrative by making it all about her mental health' and all the things royal staff had done to help the couple succeed were forgotten, allowing Meghan to point out all the times they had failed her. These failures were then singled out for millions to see during the Sussexes' interview with Oprah in 2021. Among her claims that concerns about her mental health were not taken seriously by staff, the couple also said separately that the Royal Family was racist. Pointing the finger at one member in particular, the couple alleged that the unnamed individual had speculated about the colour of their son Archie's skin while Meghan was pregnant with him. She recalled 'concerns and conversations about how dark his skin would be when he was born. People were concerned with how dark Archie's skin would be.' A tense looking Harry confirmed this, saying he was the one who'd heard these comments and had told his wife. But while the royal staff members' shortcomings were broadcast for the world to see, Meghan's own behaviour has also been in the spotlight. In 2018, royal aide Jason Knauf - who at one time was exceptionally close to Harry and Meghan - sent an internal email raising concerns about Meghan's alleged poor treatment of staff in the Royal Family, which was leaked after Megxit. '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 was totally unacceptable,' he allegedly wrote. 'The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards Y.' He also quit the royal household after accusing the Duchess of Sussex of mistreating two colleagues and undermining their confidence. According to royal author Robert Lacey, when Mr Knauf presented the Prince of Wales with a 'dossier of distress' about their behaviour he 'went ballistic' and was left 'astonished' and 'horrified' by what he heard. William's anger stemmed from the fact that a tradition of treating the staff 'like family' within the Royal Family had been broken and that he personally knew many of those named, Mr Lacey wrote. Accusations that Meghan is difficult to work with have also plagued her career away from the Royal Family. In May, MailOnline revealed that Meghan was 'banned' by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour from being on the cover of British Vogue in September 2022 after the magazine boss became 'frustrated with all the Duchess of Sussex's team's micromanaging', one source said. And before she was even the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan was already starting to build a bad reputation among other magazine editors. In September 2017, two months before her engagement to Harry was announced, Meghan graced the cover of Vanity Fair. Mr Knauf quit the royal household after accusing the Duchess of Sussex of mistreating two colleagues and undermining their confidence Writing in his biography about the staff who serve the royals - titled Courtiers - author Valentine Low said that the palace 'needed evidence of the duty of care the organisation had showed them' According to the then-editor of the magazine, Graydon Carter, the soon-to-be Duchess of Sussex challenged a reporter over why she was being asked about her relationship with the now-Duke of Sussex rather than her charity work. Speaking to the New York Post, Mr Carter said Meghan asked the journalist: 'Excuse me, is this going to all be about Prince Harry? 'Because I thought we were going to be talking about my charities and my philanthropy.' The former editor then admitted he had 'no idea' who Meghan was at the time and added that she was 'slightly adrift on the facts and reality'. Earlier this year, Mr Carter gave a simple but scathing takedown of Meghan during a discussion with Interview Magazine. When asked about his thoughts on the Duchess, he called her 'The Undine Spragg of Montecito'. His reference was to the main character in The Custom Of The Country - a tragicomedy by author Edith Wharton published in 1913. The book tells the story of Spragg, a social climber who moves from the Midwest to New York to experience the high life. Spragg then marries a man from Manhattan's high society, but she's never satisfied because of her greed and ambition, with some readers describing her as 'vain, spoiled, and selfish'. Two years later, Meghan guest-edited the September 2019 Forces For Change issue of British Vogue, which featured 15 'trailblazing change makers' on its cover. It became the fastest selling issue in the magazine's 103-year history, selling out in ten days. Among the advocates featured on the cover were Greta Thunberg, Sinead Burke, actors Gemma Chan and Jameela Jamil and New Zealand's then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern. But critics pointed out that the Queen was not among the 15 'women she admires' featured, and neither were there any nurses, doctors, lawyers or teachers. Three years later, the Duchess was due to appear on the cover of British Vogue at the same time as Meghan's keynote appearance at the One Young World Summit in Manchester in September 2022. But insiders from Conde Nast, Vogue's parent company, claim it was abruptly pulled and scrapped completely. An insider told MailOnline that Meghan was being 'difficult about making it a cover' and her team were 'insisting on particular straplines'. She then found herself at loggerheads with not only the editor of British Vogue, Edward Enninful, but the Queen of fashion magazines Anna Wintour. The insider said: 'Anna heard about it, and just like banned her and said: "That's it. We don't want to do this." 'And so [Meghan] didn't get the cover, and I guess she didn't even get the story. [British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful] probably agreed with Anna that you don't get to call the shots on who's on the cover. That's absolutely an editor's decision. 'Anna was p***** off. Anna was like frustrated with all the micromanaging, and just was like: "All right. That's it. She can't have the cover and we're not doing the story".' The source added that Meghan's 'level of desire for detail and control on the media is almost like Beyonce level... but she's not Beyonce'. However, the Duchess is said to have been relaxed with 'no expectations', although her team had 'high expectations for the piece' in Vogue. 'Enninful was not in a position to meet those expectations. He already had a magazine cover in the bag for that month,' Conde Nast insiders told the Mail On Sunday. Shelving the project is said to have damaged Mr Enninful and the Duchess's friendship. 'Edward was furious to have lost the project, as were the powers that be at Conde Nast,' a source told the MoS. However, reports are conflicting. Producer and journalist Jane Marie, who worked with Harry and Meghan during the development of Archewell Audio projects, insisted to Vanity Fair that Meghan is 'just a lovely, genuine person'. Other staff members have claimed that she would send her employees gifts ranging from dog leashes to skincare products. These wildly varying accounts of the work culture Meghan presides over are supported by a source that worked with her in the run-up to her wedding in 2018, who said she was 'lovely when it is all going her way but a demon when the worm turns'. The Duchess of Sussex has always denied the allegations of bullying, which she described as an orchestrated smear campaign against her.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Is there a new member of the 'Sussex Survivors' Club'? The Mail's Royal experts discuss Meghan Markle's friendship with Edward Enninful on PALACE CONFIDENTIAL
Meghan Markle first came across Edward Enninful, the former editor of British Vogue, when she was invited to guest-edit the fashion magazine in 2019. At the time, they were inseparable with Meghan describing them as 'like-minded thinkers' who enjoyed 'philosophising' over cups of mint tea. But there have long been rumours amid fashion circles that the pair fell out over a planned feature in British Vogue about the Duke and Duchess's charitable work in 2022. Now, the Mail's team of unrivalled royal experts have delved into the truth behind Meghan and Edward's friendship on the latest episode of Palace Confidential, questioning whether the style stalwart has become an 'honorary member' of the 'Sussex Survivors' Club'. 'One of Meghan's friends was the editor of British Vogue,' Richard Eden, the Daily Mail's Diary Editor, said. 'Or he certainly used to be.' Richard, who has written about the Royal Family for over 20 years, urged viewers of Palace Confidential to remember the 'cringemaking' video that Meghan made in 2019 to promote the record-breaking issue she guest-edited for Vogue entitled Forces for Change. The cover featured familiar faces such as Salma Hayek Pinault, Greta Thunberg and Laverne Cox. It was described as the 'fastest-selling' issue in the magazine's history by Forbes. 'The video was them wearing party hats,' he said, 'and they talked about their shared love of mint tea. Anyway, they were besties for a while these two. 'Then it clearly went badly wrong and they did that classic modern thing of unfollowing each other on social media but it was known that they were really not on speaking terms anymore.' Pointing to a 'very interesting' article in the Mail on Sunday written by his colleague Charlotte Griffiths, Richard said it reveals 'what actually went wrong'. 'Meghan was hoping that Enninful would run in Vogue a big number on the [Sussexes'] charitable work,' he explained. 'This is going back to 2022 and she was hoping there would be a special that was to coincide with Meghan's appearance at the One Young World Summit. 'I think she hoped for a cover of Vogue as well as a big spread online as well as the magazine. But it didn't happen.' Although the Duchess is said to have been relaxed with 'no expectations', her team supposedly had 'high expectations for the piece'. A source told the MoS they were 'expecting she might get a print cover or at least a digital cover out of it, but Enninful was not able to meet those expectations. 'He already had a magazine cover in the bag for that month.' Adding his own commentary on Palace Confidential, Richard said: 'I think the problem was he had already designated a cover to the great former supermodel Linda Evangelista. Forces for Change - Vogue's September issue that was guest-edited by the Duchess of Sussex in 2019 'It was a really striking cover and presumably they had been negotiating for ages.' Indeed, British Vogue's September 2022 cover star was the Canadian fashion model. In the issue, Linda opened up about her struggle to 'love herself' again after a botched cosmetic procedure left her 'permanently deformed' and 'brutally disfigured.' According to insiders, Meghan's project needed a full production team including photographers, videographers, stylists and editors to shoot exclusive images and film an in-depth video feature with the royal couple. Shelving it is said to have caused irreparable damage to Meghan and Edward's friendship. 'Edward was furious to have lost the project, as were the powers that be at Conde Nast,' a source told the MoS. The newspaper approached the Duchess of Sussex and Enninful for comment. Conde Nast declined to comment. Richard added: 'Meghan was so disappointed that it sounds like she threw her toys out of the pram and never spoke to Edward again.' He then passed the floor to Jo Elvin who not only hosts the hit YouTube show Palace Confidential but previously edited the glossy fashion magazines You and Glamour. Sharing her insight, Jo said: 'I haven't ever had the weird privilege of turning away royalty on my magazine cover - that is a whole rarified Vogue world that I know not of. 'But I have definitely been in the situation so many times where you've got three celebrities who want that cover and they can only have that one cause it's the only that's promoting the thing at the time that they want it to be at - and you've already given it to somebody. 'People don't pay celebrities to be on magazine covers, I think that might surprise a lot of people. 'Once you've said, "you can have the cover, Beyonce" to suddenly dump Beyonce because Meghan wants the cover. You just can't do it.' 'So Edward Enninful would have had no choice?' asked Rebecca English, the Daily Mail's Royal Editor. 'He would have been between a rock and a hard place,' Jo replied. 'If it's true that she then decided that she didn't even want to be in the pages of Vogue, I think I can sympathise with him being pretty annoyed at having probably at least a 10-page hole. 'Most celebrities understand that once that offer has been somewhere else, you're not going to get it.' 'If this is true,' Richard interjected, 'it does seem very self-defeating because if they did wanted publicity for their charitable works, surely you would welcome any publicity?' To which Jo said: 'I think the three of us know that if Meghan had been in Vogue with somebody else on Vogue, there would have been reams of speculation worldwide about why she wasn't "good enough" for the cover.' Turning back to her role as host, Jo turned to Rebecca and said: 'On another note, the Sussexes do fall out with a lot of people, don't they?' 'I wonder if Edward Enninful has been given honorary membership of the Sussex Survivors Club?' Rebecca said. 'Oh, he may well have a t-shirt,' Jo joked. 'He could design the t-shirt.'
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
When Queen Elizabeth II Unleashed Her Wrath On Meghan Markle Over Rude Behaviour
Royal biographers have revealed explosive details about Meghan Markle's early clashes with palace staff before her royal wedding. During a menu tasting at Windsor, Meghan reportedly lashed out over a dish she claimed violated her strict dietary rules. Sources say she scolded the caterer for including animal-based ingredients, prompting concern among staff. The Queen herself is said to have stepped in, calmly telling Meghan, 'We don't speak to people like that here.' But this wasn't a one-off, gardeners at Frogmore reportedly experienced similar treatment. A head groundskeeper even brought complaints directly to Queen Elizabeth, who again showed quiet but firm disapproval. Insiders claim some staff eventually formed a private group dubbed the 'Sussex Survivors Club' due to repeated tensions with the Duchess. Read More
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Meghan Markle's alleged rudeness caused Queen Elizabeth II to have a 'stern words of advice' with her: "Suddenly, the Queen walked in and said..."
, the Duchess of Sussex, might be known to the public for various skills; however, during Queen II's reign, she was accused of being rude to the staff, so much so that the late royal member had to intervene and advise the actress. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Meghan Markle's incident with the wedding caterer According to the royal biographer Katie Nicholl, Meghan Markle once lashed out at the wedding caterer for not serving vegan and macrobiotic food. In the book 'The New Royals,' Nicholl described the incident where she wrote, 'On one occasion in the run-up to the wedding, Meghan went to Windsor Castle for a menu-tasting and ended up having a tense exchange with a member of staff, according to one source.' 'Meghan was at the castle to taste some of the dishes, and told one of the caterers she could taste the egg. She got quite upset, saying that the dish was meant to be vegan and macrobiotic,' she further wrote. After Her Majesty became familiar with the clash, she allegedly had a word of advice with the bride-to-be. 'Suddenly, the Queen walked in and said: "Meghan, in this family, we don't speak to people like that,' Nicholl noted. Meghan Markle's incident with the gardener No, this wasn't the only incident that happened between Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan Markle. When the latter was residing at Frogmore Cottage, close to Windsor Castle, the new royal member was so rude to the garden staff that they spoke with Her Majesty. 'The head gardener went to complain to the Queen, and she told her off because she obviously didn't like people being rude to staff,' according to The Sun. According to the Daily Mail, Meghan Markle had a reputation for being rude, and the staff allegedly created a 'Sussex Survivors Club.'
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Queen 'scolded' Meghan after 'tense exchange' with wedding menu caterer
Meghan Markle allegedly upset staff ahead of her royal wedding in 2018, with claims the late Queen stepped in to remind her how 'things are done' in the Royal Family According to reports, Meghan Markle, like many brides before her, was an anxious bride before her big day in 2018. With the world's eyes on her and her husband Prince Harry, with a fairytale wedding to plan, tensions ran high, including alleged clashes with caterers and Meghan's sister-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales (then Duchess of Cambridge), over Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress. But the drama didn't stop there. According to royal biographer Katie Nicholl, Meghan found herself in a tense moment with a staff member during a menu tasting at Windsor Castle, the Daily Mail reports. During the tasting, Meghan reportedly got upset after being able to taste egg in what was thought to be a vegan dish. One source told Nicholl in her book The New Royals, 'She got quite upset, saying that the dish was meant to be vegan and macrobiotic.' However, Meghan's American directness didn't go unnoticed by the late Queen, who intervened right away. Nicholls' source claims, 'Suddenly the Queen walked in and said: 'Meghan, in this family we don't speak to people like that.'' It wasn't the only time her treatment of staff reportedly came to the attention of the late Queen. Royal historian Hugo Vickers has claimed that while Meghan and Harry were living at Frogmore Cottage, another complaint was made. According to Vickers, the Duchess had been so dismissive towards an under-gardener that it prompted the senior staff member to speak directly to the Queen. However, the stories about Meghan being an alleged bully kept on coming. In the years since Meghan has left the Royal life behind, multiple reports have emerged about Meghan's strained relationship with palace staff. The phrase 'Sussex Survivors Club' began circulating, in reference to a group of former employees who'd worked closely with the couple and come out on the other side. Daily Mail royal editor Rebecca English wrote that some aides were left 'emotionally broken' by their experiences. Even more concerningly, she claimed that she'd been on the phone with a sobbing employee who had had a 'harrowing day.' In 2018, an internal review into Meghan's treatment of staff was triggered after her communications secretary, Jason Knauf, sent an email to Prince William 's then private secretary. His email claimed that Meghan had bullied two PAs out of the house in a single year. He added: 'The duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights.' Knauf, who would later change sides and begin working alongside William and Kate, has said he wouldn't change his decision to speak out. In 2022, Knauf was made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order by King Charles III in his New Year's Honours List. Meghan firmly denied all allegations of bullying and described them as a 'calculated smear campaign'. A spokesperson for the Duchess said: 'The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma. She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good.' Last year, a former bodyguard Steve Davies, who worked with Meghan after she had been announced as Harry's girlfriend, came to the Duchess' defence when speaking to In Touch Weekly. He said: "She gets a bad rap for being a not very good person to work with, that she was this evil person in the Royal Family. I saw her, from working at the studio to working with charities to working with dog walkers and cleaners. There's one huge lesson I learned from her: It's give respect to get respect.' He added: 'I felt sorry [for her] because she'd gone from being a celebrity to being a member of the biggest family in the world.' When Davies visited the duchess in the UK, he likened her life to being in a 'goldfish bowl'. He claimed it did not help that ' Buckingham Palace was controlling the PR and Meghan was always used to being able to control the PR herself with her team'. This was also around the time that employees started complaining, Davies said: 'The staff at Buckingham Palace [said they] couldn't stand working for her. Nobody had a bad word to say about her [in Toronto]. Even with the pressure that she was under, she was warm and considerate all the time.' He also added that she had a 'big heart' and would 'go out of her way' to help people. In the interview, Davies, who no longer works with the Duchess, said: 'I would work with her again, not a problem at all. She was a good person to work for, and she still is a good person.' Whilst the late Queen seemed to disapprove of Meghan throwing herself headfirst into the Royal family and life, it also seems the slow-burning introduction into the Royal family life by Kate Middleton was also something the Queen wasn't impressed by. In 2018, Royal expert Phil Dampier, who has been reporting on the Firm for more than 20 years, told that Kate gradually started doing engagements because William was protective of her. He said: 'The Queen once remarked Kate doesn't do very much so I think she had a fairly long entrance to the Royal family.' Dampier said William was protective of Kate because of what happened to his mother, Princess Diana, something Harry has been keenly scrutinised for when it comes to Meghan.
