Samantha Cohen, a former trusted royal aide, has confirmed her involvement in the Buckingham Palace investigation into the bullying accusations against Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. In an interview with the Australian newspaper, the Herald Sun, Cohen revealed that she was one of the 10 royal staffers interviewed as part of the probe.
Cohen, who worked for the royal family for nearly two decades, served as Markle's private secretary in 2021 when the first complaint was lodged, alleging that the former "Suits" star fostered a hostile work environment. While declining to provide specific details, Cohen alluded to the high staff turnover during her tenure.
"I was only supposed to stay for six months but stayed for 18 - we couldn't find a replacement for me and when we did, we took them on tour to Africa with Harry and Meghan to show them the ropes but they left (quit) as well while in Africa," Cohen told the Herald Sun.
The bullying allegations against Markle surfaced just days before her and Prince Harry's explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. In the interview, the Duchess claimed that life within the royal family was "almost unsurvivable."
The independent investigation, privately funded by the late Queen Elizabeth II, was launched after two royal staffers alleged they had been bullied while working for Markle. The Duchess's legal team vehemently denied the accusations, calling them a "calculated smear campaign."
According to The Times of London, Markle was accused of reducing staff members to tears and leading two senior palace staff to quit their jobs. Jason Knauf, the couple's communications assistant at the time, reported the behavior to Prince William's then-private secretary, Simon Case, in October 2018.
In his book "Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown," royal author Valentine Low wrote that Cohen was "screamed at" by Markle before and during the couple's first official tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand, despite having organized the trip. A source quoted in the book claimed that working for Markle and Prince Harry was like "working for a couple of teenagers" and that they "pushed her to the limit."
The Palace's investigation concluded in June 2022, with a senior royal aide stating that the findings resulted in policy changes. However, the Palace has maintained that the report's contents will remain confidential. "The review has been completed and recommendations on our policies and procedures have been taken forward," said Michael Stevens, the Queen's treasurer, during a briefing. "But we will not be commenting further."
Prince Harry, in his memoir "Spare," defended his wife as an exemplary boss who "checked on staff who were ill, sent baskets of food or flowers or goodies to anyone struggling, depressed, off sick." The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have consistently denied the bullying claims, calling them a "defamatory portrayal" of Markle.
