MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry will never again reunite with the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, an insider has claimed.
The latest bombshell twists in the Megxit saga have ensured the couple won’t return for high-profile public events like Trooping the Colour, it’s reported.
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The Queen last night launched an unprecedented probe into allegations Meghan and Harry bullied their staff.
Hours later, a teaser clip of the couple’s upcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey was released.
The footage features Meghan accusing the Royal Family of “perpetuating falsehoods” and telling the interviewer “there’s a lot has been lost”.
And a royal insider has now told The Times: “I can’t ever see those two back on the balcony.”
It comes amid claims that:
- Meghan had ‘furious rows’ with palace aides over freebie designer clothes
- Meghan’s pal accused the palace of racism – and said the star ‘knew it would get ugly’ before the Oprah interview aired
- The Duchess ignored aides’ advice not to wear earrings gifted by the Saudi prince weeks after the murder of a journalist
- Furious palace sources said the allegations about Meghan are not a smear campaign – and branded her ‘disingenuous’
There’s strict protocol surrounding who’s invited onto the balcony, with the list reportedly always including the Queen and Prince Philip, plus the first and second in line to the throne, along with their spouses.
But as a rift between the royals grows, it’s claimed Meghan and Harry may never make their way back.
Relationships appear to have soured further following claims that the Duchess of Sussex, 39, allegedly bullied staff during her time at Kensington Palace.
A source told The Times she drove two personal assistants out of the household and undermined the confidence of a third.
Meghan strongly denies the allegations.
But royal aides said they were left ‘shaking with fear’ following run-ins with the Duchess.
Last night, Buckingham Palace announced a formal probe into the allegations. Members of staff will be invited to contribute in confidence.
The Palace said: “We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article.
“Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Royal Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned.
“The household has had a dignity at work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace.”
In response to the reports, Meghan and Harry accused the Queen’s staff of orchestrating a “calculated smear campaign” ahead of their explosive two-hour interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The chat is set to be aired at 9pm on Monday on ITV, despite widespread criticism as Prince Philip remains ill in hospital.
After Meghan and Harry announced they’d step back as senior royals last year – a move made permanent last month – the Queen made her regret clear in a moving statement, which read: “While all are saddened by their decision, the Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family.”
It’s understood the Royal Family hoped the couple would return for important family events, including the official celebration of the Queen’s birthday.
But now sources claim it’s unlikely they’ll ever join the family on the balcony to wave to the public again.
Allegations about bullying claim to light more than two years after one of the couple’s most senior advisors, Jason Knauf, lodged an official complaint.
Mr Knauf, who worked as communications secretary to Harry and Meghan and now heads the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s charitable foundation, said: “I am very concerned that the duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of [X] was totally unacceptable.
“The duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her confidence.
“We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards [Y].”
A spokesman for the royal couple hit back with claims the newspaper was being “used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative” before the interview.
Yesterday, a senior Palace source told the Daily Mail: “This is absolutely untrue.
“We haven’t been ‘peddling’ anything. It’s disingenuous [to suggest that].
“There are far more important things going on in the world that have been focusing our attention, rather than the circus around a media interview.”
Despite that, Meghan appears to feel differently.
In the latest teaser clip for the Oprah chat, the interviewer asked how Meghan felt about “the Palace hearing you speak your truth.”
“I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent if there is an active role that The Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us,” she replied.
“And, if that comes with risk of losing things, there is a lot that has been lost already.”
