Meghan Markle’s Former Staff Speaks Out After She Was Called a ‘Dictator in High Heels’

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Since she married Prince Harry and joined the royal family in 2018, there have been a lot of rumors about the way Meghan Markle treats her staff, and none of them are good. At one point, the reports about how the Duchess of Sussex behaves as a boss even triggered a Buckingham Palace investigation. But after the latest round of rumors called Meghan a “dictator,” her former employees are speaking out.

The Hollywood Reporter published a story claiming that her former employees referred to themselves as the 'Sussex Survivors Club.'

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In a story published on September 12, a source claiming to be close to Meghan and Harry said that everyone who has worked for Meghan is “terrified” of her,” and she was known for belittling her employees.

“She’s absolutely relentless,” an insider told The Hollywood Reporter. “She marches around like a dictator in high heels, fuming and barking orders. I’ve watched her reduce grown men to tears.”

Now, those who have worked for Meghan personally are setting the record straight.

Several of Meghan and Harry’s former staffers spoke to Us Weekly to share that they had the opposite experience working closing with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The couple’s former head of content, Ben Browning, told the outlet that Meghan and Harry created a “positive and supportive” environment.

“We all continue to be friends. The narratives we’ve seen suggesting the contrary are untrue,” he added.

Multiple former staffers came to Meghan and Harry's defense.

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Ben wasn’t the only former employee to speak up. Catherine St-Laurent, who was previously Meghan and Harry’s chief of staff, said it was “incredibly meaningful” to work for them, while another former chief of staff, Josh Ketter, called them “dedicated and hardworking.”

Meghan and Harry are known for going above and beyond.

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Ashley Hansen, who serves as both the head of communication for the Archewell foundation and Harry and Meghan’s press secretary, told the outlet that when she had to take time off for a serious surgery, they encouraged her to take all the time she needed and even sent her flowers and care packages as she recovered.

“Most profoundly to me, Meghan would personally reach out to my husband daily to make sure that we both were OK and had support,” she said. “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.”

Both current and former staffers said that Meghan and Harry are known for giving gifts to their employees who are going through life changes, including baby gear for expecting parents.

“Meghan will do things like, ‘You mentioned on the call your skin is bothering you, I put together a kit for you,'” one person said.

Even the claims that Meghan raises her voice appear to be untrue.

One source told Us Weekly that they have “never” heard her yell and shared Meghan’s email signature: “My working day may not be your working day. Please do not feel obliged to reply to this email outside your normal working hours.”

She sounds like a boss that anyone would be lucky to have, but with all of these conflicting reports, it’s hard to know what to believe.

Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.