Ex-Royal Aide Speaks Out After Accusing Meghan Markle Of 'Bullying' Staff, Says He Has 'No Regrets'

Yahoo

23-02-2025

The royal aide who alleged that Meghan Markle bullied junior members of staff has finally broken his silence on the situation.
Jason Knauf doubled down on his allegations, saying he "wouldn't change anything" and has "no regrets" about it.
Meghan Markle has since slammed the bullying claims and branded them a "smear campaign" at the time.
Former royal aide behind Meghan bullying allegations, Knauf has spoken up about the controversy for the first time.
The allegations against Meghan first surfaced in 2018 when Knauf sent an internal email calling attention to her alleged treatment of staff.
Appearing in a new documentary for 60 Minutes Australia, "Where There's A Will," Knauf said he "wouldn't change anything" and has "no regrets."
Speaking on how he felt being in the spotlight following the email leak and allegations, he said: "I think it's tough, but it's probably quite good."
"You know someone who has been helping other people through how to deal with the public eye. You probably had to take your own medicine sometimes," he said, per the Daily Mail. "You can't choose just to take the fun stuff in any job, and that applies to the prince and princess too. So, I wouldn't change anything."
According to the news outlet, Knauf said that he had "great times" working with Meghan and Harry before the controversy, adding that their 2018 Windsor wedding was a "magical experience."
The Duchess of Sussex has always denied the allegations, labeling it as a "calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation."
At the time, the controversy sparked an investigation by Buckingham Palace, but the findings were kept private.
In his book, "Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown," Valentine Low shared excerpts of Knauf's purported memo.
In an extract, Knauf, who served as palace press chief at the time, wrote an email to Prince William's private secretary, Simon Case, about "very serious problems" with Meghan's behavior.
It read, "I am very concerned that 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."
Elsewhere on the show, Knauf weighed in on William's state following Kate's illness in 2024.
The princess of Wales was diagnosed with cancer and seemingly disappeared from the public eye, sparking several online conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and health.
Speaking in the documentary, Knauf said William was the "lowest" he had ever seen him following Kate's health scare.
"Within a couple of weeks if you're Prince William, you find out that both your wife and your father have cancer. I couldn't believe it. It was awful, absolutely awful. It's the lowest I've ever seen him," he said. "But the problem was that all this crazy conspiracy theory stuff kicked off in the background online."
Knauf added, "Was she really ill? But they didn't want to say yet that she had cancer because they hadn't told the children and they were still working through how to tell the children."
Meanwhile, Meghan has been dragged into another trademark war following the change of her brand name from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever.
The former "Suits" actress took to Instagram to announce the name change, but it immediately sparked controversy as it turns out that there are other brands already using the name.
A New York-based clothing company's owner cried foul on the situation, revealing that they wouldn't change their name and that they're "exploring all possibilities."
According to the Daily Mail, Meghan has also been banned from selling clothes under the new name as it turns out it shares striking similarities with Chinese clothing company ASEVER.
Meghan's attorney filed to sell aprons and other clothing items under the As Ever name in October 2022.
However, the USPTO later issued a 145-page "partial rejection" of her application because of its striking similarity to the Chinese "fast fashion" brand.
As reported by the news outlet, Meghan secured rights to use As Ever after her lawyers filed a revised application in January 2024, removing any mention of clothing.
The trademark issue over her clothing line's name raises doubt about whether they conducted extensive research into the trademark status of the name.
According to the news outlet, a Los Angeles trademark lawyer said the former "Suits" actress "risks being sued" if she proceeds with selling clothing under the As Ever brand name.
Meanwhile, her As Ever products will be sold in conjunction with Netflix, which will launch her new lifestyle show "With Love, Meghan" on March 4.
They will be available for purchase at the streaming giant's stand-alone stores in Dallas and Philadelphia, as well as online through Netflix's shopping site and her own website.