A Shocking New Claim About Meghan Markle Has Surfaced — And the Final Detail Is Raising Eyebrows
Meghan Markle has been hit with fresh allegations about her treatment of staff, with the Duchess accused of berating workers at a luxury hotel before later humiliating a young woman interviewing for a palace job.
The claims have been detailed by award-winning British journalist and columnist Sarah Vine, who recounted two alleged encounters involving the Duchess in a scathing new column examining the Sussexes’ decade in the spotlight.
The column, titled Meghan and Harry: a decade of drama, was published by the Daily Mail on Sunday and charts the couple’s story from shortly before they began dating in July 2016 through to their lives in Montecito today.
Meghan Markle has been hit with fresh allegations about her treatment of staff, with the Duchess accused of berating workers at a luxury hotel before later humiliating a young woman interviewing for a palace job. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
According to Vine, the first alleged incident occurred in 2015- before Meghan met Prince Harry- at the opening of Soho House in Istanbul, Turkey.
Vine said a friend who attended the event recalled waiting in the hotel lobby when a “very pretty American woman strode up to the front desk” and began complaining to staff.
“She proceeded to berate the staff about some kind of problem in her room,” Vine wrote.
“My friend couldn’t quite catch the details, but the general gist seemed to be that she was unhappy with the quality of her goodie bag, which she felt was insufficiently lavish in its largess.
“My friend remembers thinking, ‘Wow, it takes quite some chutzpah to complain about a free gift at a free weekend in a five-star hotel full of A-listers’.”
Vine said her friend had “no idea who the angry American was” at the time.
It was not until a year later, when photographs emerged of Prince Harry’s new girlfriend, that he allegedly “recognised her immediately” as Meghan.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends the “100 days of peace” concert to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War at Central Hall Westminster on September 06, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. Picture:Geoff Pugh – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Vine then detailed a second alleged encounter, this time after Meghan had entered royal life.
According to the columnist, a friend with contacts inside the royal household told her Meghan was interviewing prospective staff when a “young girl- a perfectly harmless and nervous Sloane in her early 20s” was “ushered into her presence”.
What allegedly followed was an excruciating encounter: “Meghan was sitting at her desk, reading some papers,” Vine said.
“For what seemed like an eternity, she kept her eyes down, ignoring the girl completely.
“She then glanced up, examined her, then went back to work. ‘You can leave,’ she said. And that was that.”
Vine ended her column with a pointed observation: “One for Harry to ponder, perhaps, as he considers his future within the Royal Family.”
Princess Catherine and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on December 25, 2018 in King’s Lynn, England. Picture: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
The fresh claims come after years of controversy surrounding allegations about Meghan’s treatment of staff- allegations the Duchess has consistently and strenuously denied.
Meghan moved onto the grounds of Kensington Palace ahead of her engagement to Prince Harry in 2017 and lived in several royal residences before the Sussexes stepped back as senior working royals and relocated to California in 2020.
Buckingham Palace launched a formal investigation in March 2021 following historical claims the former Suits actress had driven two personal assistants out of the household and that staff had been “humiliated” on several occasions during her time as a working royal.
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Jason Knauf attend the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly at Pier Mauá during day three of his visit to Brazil on November 5, 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The allegations emerged after the Sussexes’ former communications secretary Jason Knauf filed an HR complaint in 2018 expressing concern about Meghan’s treatment of palace employees during her early days in the Firm, including around the time of a joint visit to Ireland with Prince Harry.
“I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year,” he allegedly wrote in the email, which was later leaked to The Times in March 2021.
“We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour.”
The allegations centred on claims that two personal assistants left their roles because of Meghan’s conduct, while the confidence of a third staff member was reportedly undermined.
When the palace inquiry concluded in June 2022, officials said changes had been made to workplace policies but declined to publicly reveal its specific findings, citing the privacy of those involved.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. Picture: CBS
The Duchess has always adamantly denied allegations she bullied staff, with a spokesperson telling the BBC at the time she was “saddened” by the “latest attack on her character”.
Meghan has also spoken publicly about her own experience of bullying and life inside the royal institution.
During her bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, she alleged she had been “silenced” by the Royal Family.
The mother-of-two also accused the Princess of Wales of making her cry in the lead-up to her 2018 wedding and alleged that an unnamed member of the Royal Family had made racist comments about her unborn child.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes told News.com.au “Sarah Vine’s extraordinary ability to recall, in remarkable detail, the specifics of an event said to have taken place more than a decade ago is matched only by her extraordinary decision to have kept this supposedly newsworthy account to herself until now.”
