Meghan Markle’s Email Rule Reveals a Lot About How She Treats Her Staff Behind Closed Doors

Meghan Markle is no stranger to the spotlight, often for all the wrong reasons, including over alleged mistreatment of her royal staff. The former actress was also famously nicknamed 'Duchess Difficult' during her time in the royal fold. Markle’s reputation particularly took a nose-dive when a report surfaced about her 'dictator-like' behavior. However, many former aides have also pushed back against these allegations, describing her as a great person to work for.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, a source said, “Everyone’s terrified of Meghan. She belittles people, she doesn’t take advice. They’re [her and Prince Harry] both poor decision-makers. They change their minds frequently. Harry is a very, very charming person— no airs at all—but he’s very much an enabler. And she’s just terrible.” In 2018, Markle’s interactions with two royal aides also led Buckingham Palace to launch an investigation into her alleged bullying nature. A source shared, “She’s absolutely relentless. She marches around like a dictator in high heels, fuming and barking orders. I’ve watched her reduce grown men to tears.”

Some employees even claimed that Markle would send them emails as early as 5 a.m. However, other staffers strongly rejected accusations that the former actress bombarded them with angry emails. They shared that Markle assured them there was no expectation to respond at that hour, as reported by the New York Post. An aide in fact shared Markle’s email signature, which read, “My working day may not be your working day. Please do not feel obliged to reply to this email outside your normal working hours.” This detail proves that the former royal is neither overbearing nor anything like a dictator.

Chief of staff, Catherine St-Laurent, said, “The time I spent working with Prince Harry and Meghan was incredibly meaningful to me.” Another staffer, Josh Kettler, said, “They [Harry and Markle] are dedicated and hardworking. It was impressive to witness.” Ashley Hansen, the global press secretary for the Duke and Duchess and head of communications at Archewell, also shared that her employers were incredibly supportive when she needed to take extended leave for a major surgery, as reported by Us Weekly.

She revealed, "Meghan would personally reach out to my husband daily to make sure that we both were okay and had support. It meant so much to him and even more to me. You don’t realize how much that kind of kindness and thought means until you need it.” Others were shocked that such allegations were even made. Despite moving to the US, Harry and Markle have continued to face relentless media scrutiny. Markle has frequently expressed her frustration with her public portrayal and the immense pressure she faced. Harry once also compared his wife’s struggles to those of his late mother, Princess Diana; hounded by the press over every move.