Staff loyal to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave the couple a glowing report last night as a war of words over Meghan being labelled a ‘dictator in high heels’ continued to rage.
Current and former staff staged an extraordinary intervention in friendly American media, describing the Sussexes as ‘caring’ bosses who give staff their children’s old baby clothes, fresh flowers and ‘care packages’.
Stung by recent accusations, particularly in industry heavyweight the Hollywood Reporter, that ‘Duchess Difficult’ has reduced grown men to tears as she ‘barks’ out orders, a string of employees offered a remarkably rosy account of their working lives to US Weekly magazine in the States.
Josh Kettler, Harry’s chief of staff who left after just three months in August, sparking the latest round of negative publicity, insists he was ‘warmly welcomed’ by both Harry and Meghan and describes them as ‘dedicated and hardworking’.
‘It was impressive to witness,’ he said but did not elaborate on why his tenure was so short.
Ben Browning, Archewell’s former head of content – who was responsible for their tell-all Netflix documentary but then left before the end of his contract- says his experience at the company and with Meghan and Harry in general ‘was positive and supportive’
Their current PR chief, ‘global press secretary’ Ashley Hansen, says 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 for surgery, adding that they also sent flowers and gifts.
‘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,’ she insisted.
Another anonymous source insists the Duke and Duchess ‘water the seeds’ for them to flourish. Harry, they say, asks on work Zoom calls about what staff have done at the weekend and says as a team they plan events like karaoke nights and ‘holiday parties’.
A former staff member said the couple heard they had adopted a dog, ‘the next day, I had a luxury brand leash and new collar on my doorstep’.
Parents-to-be are also given ‘brand-new gifts and top-notch secondhand stuff from the couple themselves ‘like unused car seats and baby items they no longer need’, it was said.
‘They want to take care of us,’ one current employee gushed. ‘Meghan will do things like, ‘You mentioned on the call your skin is bothering you, I put together a kit for you.’
And it was said that no-one leaves the couple’s Montecito home empty-handed. ‘Whenever staff goes to their house, they leave with a basket with fresh flowers, fresh fruit, fresh eggs,’ one staffer said.
‘Best bosses I have ever had,’ another current team member insists.
It is a stark contrast to recent reports about a string of departures from their Archewell organisation, which combines their media deals with philanthropic endeavours.
The latest expose claiming the Duchess of Sussex is a ‘dictator in high heels’ was sourced from someone ‘very high up’ still working for the couple, it has been claimed.
The original article in the Hollywood Reporter also said Meghan ‘doesn’t take advice’ and has reduced ‘grown men to tears’ as she ‘barks’ orders.
Maer Roshan, Co-Editor in Chief of the publication, has subsequently said he stands by the story, despite a backlash amongst supporters of the Sussexes.
Mr Roshan says they not only spoke to around a dozen people who had worked closely with Harry and Meghan ‘now and previously’ but told Access Hollywood that ‘our reporter talked to one very high up source who works for the couple who said everyone is terrified of Meghan’.
They say the former royal ‘belittles people’ and ‘doesn’t take advice’.
The sudden deluge of praise will do little to dampen speculation around the couple’s behaviour.
The duchess herself has always strongly denied claims of bullying staff, particularly in the UK, claiming they were part of a ‘calculated smear campaign’ against her.
Mr Roshan added: ‘Duchess Difficult is a nickname that has trailed Meghan 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.’
Buckingham Palace launched its own investigation after the bullying allegations were made public but refused to reveal the results of their findings.
Insiders have also previously expressed concern to the Mail that former employees who may have evidence to support the claims she bullied several female staff when she was living in the UK as a working royal were never even spoken to as part of their internal inquiry.
This newspaper also revealed that former staff had dubbed themselves ‘The Sussex Survivors Club’ and some were suffering from the equivalent of PTSD.
It will be undeniably troubling to the duke and duchess that the same sort of accusations have followed them to the United States and may account for the latest strike back.
The Hollywood Reporter piece also described the couple as ‘both poor decision-makers’ who ‘change their minds frequently’ – with Harry dubbed ‘a very, very charming person’ and yet ‘very much an enabler’.
Although they have not commented officially, a source ‘close’ to Harry and Meghan rejected the claims last week.
They also claimed that a note on her email signature which says staff should not feel obligated to respond outside of normal business hours was proof she wasn’t demanding. Staff have previously accused of her sending work emails at anti-social hours.
It comes as Prince Harry continues with a string of public appearances in New York ahead of a charity visit to the UK on Monday.
He joked about his misspent youth and spoke of his love for his own children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in a plea to better protect children from the ‘harm’ caused by social media.
Speaking at the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative event he said: ‘Some say kids will be kids and well, that may well be true. Kids may get into trouble. I know a thing or two about that. But our kids are being targeted. The harmful effects of social media are made by design.
‘These platforms are designed to create addiction….Young people are kept there by mindless, endless, numbing, scrolling, being force fed content that no child should ever be exposed to.’