meghan markle speech© Photo: Getty Images

Royal households make changes following Meghan Markle bullying claims

Buckingham Palace conducted an investigation

Senior Online Writer
June 29, 2022

Policies for staff working for the royal family have changed in the wake of bullying allegations made against the Duchess of Sussex during her time as a senior working member of the royal family, according to a senior palace source.

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The exact details were not released in order to protect the confidentiality of those who took part in the independent review, which asked current and former workers about their experiences of working for Meghan.

The source said: "I'm not going to comment on the changes that have been made to the policies and procedures – I'll just say that the policies and procedures have been updated… the policies in relation to the Concern at Work apply to everyone who works within the royal household.

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"Because of the confidentiality of the discussions we have not communicated the detailed recommendations. The recommendations have been incorporated within policies and procedures wherever appropriate and policies and procedures have changed."

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The source confirmed that staff and members of the royal family have been made aware of the changes.

© Photo: Alamy

Meghan and Harry stepped back as working royals in 2020

When Buckingham Palace launched its investigation in March 2021, it asked past and present employees to speak in confidence about their experiences, after it was alleged that Meghan drove out two personal assistants and staff were "humiliated" on more than one occasion.

The Duchess' lawyers denied the allegations.

The matter of the updated policies was raised during a media briefing about the Sovereign Grant.

© Photo: Getty Images

The couple returned to the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The report outlines the royal household's "Concern at Work" policy which encourages individuals to raise any concerns they may have about the conduct of others and sets out how issues can be aired, with the policy accessible to staff on their intranet.

It also states: "Counselling and support are provided through the household’s long-established employee assistance programme and staff have been trained to be Mental Health First Aiders… Managers are trained to support, mentor and coach their teams and monitor their contribution."

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