The backlash against Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in the United States continues to grow, as a scathing new exposé highlights new bullying claims against them.
Released just days after they were branded ‘disaster tourists’ following their highly publicised visits to the sites of the California wildfires, the latest media salvo pulls no punches, highlighting Meghan’s alleged history of ‘bullying’ and Harry’s lonely existence in America.
In an excoriating piece published by Vanity Fair, it detailed how one employee who worked on the Archetypes podcast underwent long-term therapy after working with Meghan.
Meanwhile, several others claimed of taking lengthy breaks from work to escape scrutiny before leaving completely.
A person who knew her professionally reportedly claimed: ‘I think if Meghan acknowledged her own shortcomings or personal contributions to situations rather than staying trapped in a victim narrative, her perception might be better.’
Additionally, an individual who worked in media projects read claims of Meghan ‘bullying’ palace aides and said they could not imagine such behaviour really happened.
However, after working with the Duchess, the person allegedly changed their mind, thinking: ‘Oh, any given Tuesday this happened.’
A person who interacted with her through work reportedly said: ‘You can be yelled at even if somebody doesn’t raise their voice.’
Just a few years ago, several former employees of the Duchess of Sussex accused her of creating a toxic work environment, with claims of verbal abuse and mistreatment.
The allegations sparked an internal investigation by the royal household, and while the results were never fully made public, the controversy has continued to haunt her as she attempts to establish a brand in Hollywood. The duchess had strongly denied the allegations.
The article in Vanity Fair also sheds light on the apparent disconnect between the couple’s public persona and their private lives, with Harry painted as a man ‘marooned beyond his nuclear family’ and lacking any meaningful friendships in the US.
A source close to the couple reveals that Meghan herself has acknowledged her husband’s social struggles, admitting that Harry has yet to make any lasting connections since their move to California.
‘Harry doesn’t know what real life really is,’ said one insider, explaining how the prince’s sheltered upbringing within the royal family has left him unprepared for life outside the royal bubble.
‘I think he wants to be left alone, to kiss babies and not worry about money. But he doesn’t want fame the way Meghan does.’
The stark contrast between their ambitions is laid bare as the duchess continues to chase the limelight while Harry retreats from it.
One former employee of the Sussex’s Bill Simmons who worked at Spotify described his experience of them: ‘The F****** Grifters. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them.’
There is also allegations that Meghan’s team had a conversation with a publishing house to gauge interest in a potential book that would be post her divorce from Harry.
Although she denies this and no written or formal proposal was ever handed in.
Harry and Meghan were also amongst The Hollywood Reporter’s December roundup of Hollywood’s biggest losers in 2023.
Their assessment of the couple’s failure to break through in the entertainment industry noted that Meghan’s efforts to reinvent herself, from her podcast to her Netflix projects, have largely flopped.
It said the couple had ‘fled a life of ceremonial public service to cash in their celebrity status in the States’ – but failed to ignite.
‘The Harry and Meghan brand swelled into a sanctimonious bubble just begging to be popped – and South Park was the pin,’ the authors said.
In March 2024, South Park ridiculed the couple with an episode entitled ‘World-Wide Privacy Tour’, which skewered the pair for claiming to find media intrusion too intense, and then seeking the spotlight.
The magazine concluded: ‘Still, all the scorn and mockery beats otherwise having to attend 200-plus official royal family engagements a year, which sounds hellish.’
Adding to the tension, The Cut magazine recently turned on Meghan as well, taking aim at her seemingly endless attempts at self-promotion.
The publication noted that her projects, despite the hype, have failed to resonate with audiences.
‘Meghan’s reinvention hasn’t quite worked,’ said one of the article’s contributors. ‘Her ambitions for fame have led to a series of flops that have done little to repair her image.’
The couple’s public appearances in the wake of the California wildfires have also raised eyebrows.
Critics have slammed them as ‘disaster tourists,’ accusing them of using the tragic events as a backdrop for their own publicity stunts.
Many have suggested that their visits to fire-ravaged areas felt more like an exercise in image-building than genuine humanitarian aid.
Sources close to the Sussexes have even claimed that Harry and Meghan are growing increasingly alienated from their neighbors in Montecito, where they reside in a multi-million dollar estate.
Locals have reportedly expressed frustration with the couple’s high-profile lifestyle and their seeming detachment from the realities of everyday life.
One Montecitan who spoke to Vanity Fair has attributed the increase in housing prices to Harry and Meghan as much as Ellen DeGeneres and point to out-of-towners coming in, driving too fast, and taking up all the street parking by local trails like the one Meghan was photographed hiking on while Harry was in the UK for Charles’s coronation.
The combination of Meghan’s bullying allegations, the couple’s failure to find their place in Hollywood, and their increasingly strained relationship with the public has left many wondering whether the Sussexes’ time in the spotlight is running out.
As they try to navigate their post-royal life, the cracks in their carefully curated image are becoming harder to ignore.
Harry and Meghan’s representative have been approached for comment.