Prince Harry's Distrust Of Palace Staff Worsened After He Married Meghan Markle, Royal Expert Alleges

Prince Harry was wary of palace staff even before Meghan Markle entered the picture, but his concerns allegedly grew after marrying the former actress, a royal expert has claimed.

Kinsey Schofield, host of the "To Di For" podcast and author of "R is for Revenge Dress," claimed to Fox News Digital that the Duke of Sussex "has always been suspicious of palace staff" because of his position in the line of succession.

Prince Harry, 38, is fifth in line to the throne, while his older brother Prince William is first in line followed by his three children with Kate Middleton: Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.

The royal expert alleged that the palace has "prioritized" the heir, Prince William, over the "spare," Prince Harry, since the latter was a teenager, which resulted in some "clashes" between the Duke of Sussex and staffers.

However, Prince Harry's relationship with palace staffers allegedly became worse after he married Markle, Schofield claimed.

"I think it's more about Prince Harry growing up with a mom that insisted that her sons be treated equally and then losing that advocate. Prince Harry was relatively unproblematic in the years leading up to his relationship with Meghan Markle. His bad boy days were behind him, and he had accepted his role as the handsome and silly third wheel to Prince William and his wife on royal engagements," Schofield told the outlet. "There were some clashes with staff, but for the most part, Harry's team was very cheerful and enjoyed working with him."

The royal expert claimed that the alleged arguments between Prince Harry and palace staffers mostly stemmed from the younger royal wanting to pursue the same campaigns as his older brother, who was "given priority."

"I think the staff was so taken aback by how assertive Meghan Markle was... immediately. No honeymoon period there. But behind the scenes, Harry had been venting his frustrations to Meghan and now she was here to steer the ship," Schofield claimed.

International Business Times could not independently verify Schofield's claims.

Last year, just days before Prince Harry and Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey aired, The Times of London reported allegations that the duchess drove out two personal assistants and left staff feeling "humiliated" during her time as a working royal.

At the time, a spokesperson for Markle denied the accusations, telling Fox News Digital that the duchess was "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."

In June, Buckingham Palace officials announced that an independent review investigated how staff handled allegations of bullying made against Markle but that the details would not be released to protect the confidentiality of those who took part.

Vanity Fair royal editor Katie Nicholl also discussed Prince Harry and Markle's relationship with palace staff in her recently released book on the British royal family, "The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth's Legacy and the Future of the Crown."

In the book, the author claimed that Markle allegedly wanted to be the "queen bee" and that her behavior led to "personality clashes" between her and members of her staff.

The duchess allegedly wanted things to be done immediately regardless of when and at what time she made her request to staff.

"She expected an immediacy that went with those dawn emails so that she'd hatch an idea, want it executed by the next day, and didn't quite get that the Palace worked at a different pace," Nicholl claimed. "I think there were culture clashes, there were personality clashes, but I think ultimately, Meghan did want to be queen bee."

Prince Harry and Markle stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California, where they now live with their 3-year-old son Archie and 1-year-old daughter Lilibet.