Royal family
We’re finally hearing from one former Palace employee about some of the reports that aides would quit rather than stay on the Duchess of Sussex’s staff.
Before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their roles within the royal family and moved to America, there were rumblings that Palace staffers didn’t have an easy time working for Meghan. There were even reports that some of the employees referred to Harry’s wife as “Duchess Difficult” and called themselves the “Sussex Survivors Club.” Meghan was also accused, via a leaked email, of forcing two aides to quit.
In March 2021, Buckingham Palace launched an investigation into complaints alleging Meghan bullied some of her assistants and that Harry even urged one aide to drop the issue.
Now, a former top Palace staffer who worked for the late Queen Elizabeth II for 17 years before working with Harry and Meghan has finally broken her silence.
Former press secretary says replacements quit shortly after being hired
Samantha Cohen, who was Meghan’s private secretary at one point, revealed to The Herald Sun that she was one of the 10 staffers interviewed for the Palace’s investigation into the “bullying allegations.” She also confirmed that there was high turnover as people did not want to work for the Sussexes.
“I was only supposed to stay for six months but stayed for 18,” Cohen told the Australian publication. “We couldn’t find a replacement for me and when we did, we took them on tour to Africa with Harry and Meghan to show them the ropes. But they left (quit) as well while in Africa.”
Buckingham Palace’s investigation was launched after a 2018 email sent from Jason Knauf, then-Kensington Palace communications secretary, to Prince William’s private secretary read: “I am very concerned that the duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X [name removed] was totally unacceptable. The duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y [name removed] and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y [name removed].”
Senior staffer was thought to be the source in damning book
Many believe that Cohen is actually the source in the book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown written by veteran reporter Valentine Low. The author said he spoke to “sources” about Cohen’s time working as Meghan and Harry’s secretary and why she compared working for them to “dealing with teenagers.”
“When she started, Harry knew her well and liked her and she liked Harry,” Low said during an episode of Palace Confidential. “Sam is an incredible problem solver, she’s a can-do personality and she just found it really difficult. She was asked to do things that a private secretary wouldn’t normally be asked to do and I think she was treated harshly. She was shouted at by Meghan … [and] said that dealing with them was like dealing with a couple of teenagers.”
Low added that a source told him Cohen felt that “[The Sussexes] were impossible and pushed her to the limit. She was miserable.”
Harry and Meghan, meanwhile, have always denied the allegations, calling them nothing but a “smear campaign” against the duchess. The couple previously released a statement that said: “Let’s just call this what it is–a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation. We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of the Duchess of Sussex given credibility.”
