Buckingham Palace incorporates an external law firm to conduct a school bullying investigation

Buckingham Palace will incorporate an independent external law firm to conduct an investigation into allegations the Duchess of Sussex intimidated royal staff, reports said.

In an escalation of the confrontation between the two parties, Meghan Markle has written to the Palace demanding that documents, emails or text messages related to the harassment complaint against her be seen, which The Mail on Sunday may reveal.

But in an unprecedented move that will no doubt further increase tensions, royal staff have decided that a third party should take the reins of the investigation, rather than the first announced internal investigation, The Sunday Times reports.

A senior assistant at the Palace had accused Meghan of “unacceptable behavior” towards two personal assistants and of undermining the trust of a third party, which led to the investigation being handed over to a law firm.

Current and current royal aides who were barred from giving statements in court during the recent battle for Meghan’s legal privacy are expected to speak out about the investigation.

But in a clear indication that the duchess is preparing to fight what she has called “a defamation campaign”, a Palace source confirmed that her office had “written to request evidence”.

In response, the Queen has forwarded the request to the Prince of Wales, whose closest aides are now conducting a file search.

Meanwhile, Saturday night it became known that William and Harry had been “in touch” for the first time since last Sunday’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Sunday Times reported.

The interview saw how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made shock waves with accusations of racism against “The Firm”.

In February, two members of the royal staff claimed to have been harassed by Meghan, and a third said they had been “humiliated” personally and claimed that two staff members had been harassed.

Meghan has denied the allegations.

However, according to a royal source who spoke to The Times: “The worst real incidents have not come out. There are some distressing stories to tell.

“There are many things that can come out in the wash that have not been explained,” another source told the newspaper.

Sussex is not expected to be invited to participate in the investigation despite having written to Buckingham Palace about it, a decision that could further widen the rift between the royal family and the couple.

The news that Meghan is preparing for a battle with the Palace to defend her reputation is as follows:

• The 94-year-old Queen will continue with the commitments planned this week to continue the “normal” approach since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave their interview to Oprah Winfrey;

• Meghan’s friend Janina Gavankar joined the battle alleging that one of the APs had been fired for “serious misconduct” and had not left because of the harassment;

• Omid Scobie, co-author of the Sussexes Finding Freedom biography, said he had seen an email from Meghan asking staff to correct a story that had made the Duchess of Cambridge cry;

• The Archewell Foundation of Harry and Meghan announced that it would support a number of charities, including Mind, the mental health charity, Color of Change, an American civil rights organization, and PressPad, which seeks to improve media diversity. communication;

• She appeared in a previous post on Meghan The Tig’s blog that knew all about the “pomp and circumstances surrounding the royal wedding and the endless conversation about Princess Kate,” which seemed to contradict her claim that she had little knowledge of the family. royal before meeting. Harry;

• Palace said the race issues that arose in Harry and Meghan’s interview, in particular the suggestion that a family member raised questions and concerns about the color of their child’s unborn skin, would be taken seriously. and would be treated privately.

Allegations of Meghan’s intimidating behavior have angered the Sussex.

The indictment came to light earlier this month when an email leaked by Jason Knauf, the then-couple’s press secretary, was leaked to The Times.

Written in October 2018, when the Sussex were still living in Kensington Palace, Knauf wrote: “I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to harass two APs in the home last year. The treatment of X. [Name redacted] it was totally unacceptable.

The Duchess seems to intend to always have someone in sight. He is intimidating Y and seeks to undermine his confidence. We have had report after report of people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y. ‘

The email was sent to Simon Case, then private secretary to the Duke of Cambridge and now cabinet secretary, following Knauf’s talks with Samantha Carruthers, the Palace’s head of human resources.

In his email, Mr Knauf said Ms Carruthers had “agreed with me on all aspects that the situation was very serious”.

He added: “I’m worried nothing will be done.”

Buckingham Palace has said it is “clearly very concerned” about the allegations, adding: “Staff members involved at the time, including those who have left the house, will be invited to attend to see if lessons can be learned. “.

But the duchess’s spokeswoman responded by saying that “she is saddened by this latest attack on her character, especially as someone who has been the target of harassment and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma.”

The palace hoped that any investigation would be a private matter, but it seems less likely that now the Duchess’s friends have been sanctioned for defending Meghan in public.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to a request for comment.