Is this a new olive branch to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry? A new report suggests that the investigation into the bullying claims made by staff at Buckingham Palace against Markle was not done in a thorough fashion.
Investigation into bullying claims against Meghan Markle stalls.
It seems that the internal investigation was put on pause, and only a few members of the staff were asked questions.
Markle has always denied the claims. According to the Daily Mail, no one knows for sure that the investigation is still ongoing.
The investigation was announced in March, and many thought at the time that it would be comprehensive and substantive. However, the Daily Mail has stated not much has been done on the matter in the past months.
Some insiders are even wondering if there is even an appetite to really dig deep into the claims.
One source told the news outlet: “I think they [the Palace] are slightly caught between a rock and a hard place on this… There are obviously serious questions to be asked as to how the original complaints about bullying made against the duchess were handled internally.”
The person also added: “From what anyone hears, interviews have only taken place with a handful of people. It’s been far from comprehensive.”
The former actress has always said she did nothing wrong.
Markle’s lawyer, Jenny Afia, says she is not a bully.
Last week, Jenny Afia, a lawyer for Markle, talked to BBC journalist Amol Rajan and defended her client with a lot of force.
The interview was featured in the documentary The Princes And The Press. Afia said during the sit-down: “The overall allegation was the Duchess of Sussex was guilty of bullying. No, absolutely not. I think the first thing to be really clear about what bullying is.”
She also stated: “What bullying actually means is improperly using power repeatedly and deliberately to hurt someone, physically or emotionally. The Duchess of Sussex absolutely denies ever doing that.”
However, the lawyer did admit that it is hard to prove that Markle did not do anything wrong.
She elaborated: “It’s really hard to prove a negative. If you haven’t bullied someone, how do you show that you haven’t? Just denying an allegation ‘I didn’t beat my wife’ doesn’t address the underlying problem that the allegation has been made.”
Stalling investigation is a good outcome for Buckingham Palace and Markle.
Some observers have pointed out that this outcome is suitable for all of the parties involved. Markle’s name is more or less cleared.
Secondly, Buckingham Palace does not have to admit that bullying happened under its watch, and there is not much that can be done about it.
Thirdly, the British Monarchy avoids a new wave of negative headlines.
Time will tell if trust can be rebuilt between Prince Harry and Meghan Marke and the rest of the royal family after the bullying investigation is officially over.
