Meghan Markle 'Happy Her Name Has Been Cleared' Despite Probe Results Not Being Released: Report
KEY POINTS
- Meghan Markle is pleased with the results of the probe into bullying accusations against her, a report claims
- Markle is reportedly "a fair boss" and "never bullied anyone who worked for her" when she was a working royal
- A senior palace aide announced Wednesday that the investigation had concluded and that its findings would not be released
Meghan Markle is moving on after the investigation into bullying allegations made against her concluded, a report says.
The Duchess of Sussex and her husband Prince Harry are pleased with the results of the probe into accusations made by royal staffers against the former "Suits" star, according to Us Weekly, even though Buckingham Palace will not be making them public.
An unnamed source told the outlet that Markle was cleared of the bullying accusations after the investigation. International Business Times could not independently verify this information.
"Meghan is a fair boss and never bullied anyone who worked for her at the Palace in the first place. She's happy that her name has been cleared from the defamatory claims," the source said of Markle's reaction to her apparent win. "She and Harry are looking forward to putting the incident behind them and are happily moving on with their lives in Montecito."
On Wednesday, senior palace aide Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the Privy Purse (a.k.a. the Queen's accountant), confirmed during an annual briefing about the royal finances at Buckingham Palace that the probe has wrapped up but that its findings will not be publicly disclosed.
He also said that the review was undertaken "privately" and did not involve taxpayers' money and that it has seen HR policies improved for royal staff.
"I can confirm, though, that this was a review of the handling of the allegations aimed at enabling the royal households to consider potential improvements to HR policies and procedures," he was quoted as saying by People. "The review has been completed and recommendations on our policies and procedures have been taken forward, but we will not be commenting further."
Prince Harry and Markle are "disappointed that the results of the review of the investigation will not be shared," a second anonymous insider told Us Weekly.
The investigation was launched in March 2021 after a report in U.K.'s The Times claimed that the Duchess of Sussex faced a bullying complaint made by one of her close advisers when she was a working royal.
The complaint, which the publication said was made in October 2018, claimed that the duchess drove two personal assistants out of the household and undermined the confidence of a third staff member.
At the time, a spokesperson for Markle told The Times in a statement that the allegations were part of a "calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation."
"The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma," her spokesperson said in a separate statement to several other outlets, including People.
The allegations surfaced just days before CBS was set to air Markle and Prince Harry's explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which the couple made allegations of racism against the royal family.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl, who has penned several books about the British royal family, told Entertainment Tonight that the palace likely chose not to publicly release the results because Queen Elizabeth II "doesn't want any more drama."
"She just doesn't want any more dirty linens aired in public," the royal author continued.
But while Us Weekly's insiders suggested that Markle was cleared of the bullying accusations, royal pundit Lady Colin Campbell had a different take.
"If they make the announcement that Meghan was found guilty as charged, which clearly has to be the outcome, otherwise they would have now announced that she was exonerated, and she would announce that she was exonerated," the author claimed via her YouTube channel. "By not announcing that she was exonerated, they have as good as announced that she has been condemned."
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.