Lawsuits, lies, and an alleged bullying scandal.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have left the royal family, but they haven't stopped
generating headlines, and Queen Elizabeth might have finally had enough of all the drama.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have never seemed afraid to speak out and defend themselves
against accusations – and that includes filing lawsuits.
Prince Harry previously filed a lawsuit against the UK government over the matter of police
protection for himself and his family on UK soil.
Meghan and Harry also both sued newspaper The Mail on Sunday for libel; Prince Harry's
suit was for false claims, and Meghan's suit was about the publishing of a private letter.
But the bullying scandal the duke and duchess found themselves in starting back in 2021
is one of the worst dramas for the couple so far, and their willingness to speak out
is perhaps why Queen Elizabeth is taking a step back from it all.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the queen has made the decision to keep things more private
regarding Harry and Meghan.
After a bombshell was dropped in a Sunday Times article by former staff members for
the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, they came under even more intense scrutiny.
The article claimed the pair were, quote, "outrageous bullies," and inflicted emotional
cruelty upon the members of their staff.
The duke and duchess spoke out against the article in a statement, saying,
"Let's just call this what it is – a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful
information."
An investigation was launched by Buckingham Palace soon after the article was released.
That inquiry has since concluded, but controversially, it's been announced that the findings of the
investigation about the bullying claims will not be shared with the public.
Elle revealed a source close to the couple said the pair were "disappointed" about the
decision to keep the results of the investigation secret, perhaps fearing that the silence may
paint them in a bad light.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are no strangers to controversy.
Ever since they were first linked in 2016, the pair, especially Meghan Markle, have been
subject to many claims and allegations about their character.
They sat down for an interview with Oprah in 2021 to try and tell their side of the
story, but faced a lot of backlash for the claims that they made, making their relationship
with the queen and the rest of the royal family even more tense.
The pair were most recently seen in public at the queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations,
where they attended a special thanksgiving service in honor of the Queen.
Though they were seated in the second tier of royalty, the duke and duchess could be
seen walking down the aisle holding hands in a show of unity.
"They received mostly cheers but also a few boos as they were seated far from Harry's
brother, Prince William."
Although it's been suggested that the queen is tired of all the drama surrounding Meghan
Markle and Prince Harry, royal sources told The Sunday Times of London that the bullying
report was "buried" in an effort to stop the relationship between the Sussexes and the
rest of the family from suffering any further damage.
Likewise, the participants' privacy is understandably also a key concern.
However, according to royal expert Jack Royston, there might be more cynical reasons not to
release the report.
While speaking on Newsweek's "The Royal Report" podcast, Royston argued that the repercussions
for senior royals would be catastrophic if the results of the investigation were made
public.
He described the situation by saying,
"I think basically if that report were published it would be a complete bloodbath on all sides
and nobody would come out of it looking any good at all."
As Royston pointed out, the alleged bullying took place during a chaotic time at Kensington
Palace, when tensions were high.
He noted,
"When you have a situation in a company or an institution where there's a toxic culture
that developed, you get things being done on all sides by everybody because it's a product
of the toxic culture and I think this is partly the reason the palace wants to keep it quiet."
In other words, the queen may indeed be sick of dealing with Meghan and Harry, but the
beloved monarch could likely be covering her own back in the process too.
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