MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry forced royal aides to keep their commercial deals a secret, a source has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex used mega-deals with Netflix and Spotify – with a combined win of £130million – to pave the way for their new lives in Los Angeles.
The pair were reportedly in discussion with the streaming giants in 2018, while Meghan and Prince Harry were still living in Kensington Palace.
However it wasn’t till January 2020 that the Sussexes announced their bombshell decision to quit the UK and start a new life abroad, away from the royal family.
Now it has been revealed that the couple forced royal staff to keep quiet about the deals, among other things, until they crossed the pond.
‘PUBLICLY DICREDIT STAFF’
A royal source told Mail Online: “These are, on the whole, very good people who wanted the best for Harry and Meghan.
“But many of the secrets they know are explosive and would blow up much of the victim narrative so carefully crafted by those two.
“For example, some of these staff members were aware of commercial conversations that were going on when they were still full-time royals – they were clearing the way to make millions long before Megxit was revealed.
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“The way they tried to publicly discredit staff who they took against has been particularly distasteful and left a bad taste in the mouth of many courtiers past and present.
“All options have to stay on the table because we are in unprecedented times. There is literally no precedent for this situation.”
BUMPER BOOK DEAL
It comes as royal courtiers are reportedly braced for a string of bombshell allegations in the Duke of Sussex’s book, which is due to be published next year.
Harry last week announced he would be releasing a memoir next year – as Her Majesty celebrates 70 years of service – in which he will recount “experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons”.
But a small band of staffers who worked for the Duke and Duchess are now said to be concerned that the book could paint a false picture of the couple’s life in the Palace.
A royal insider said: “Harry and Meghan’s former staff members are convinced that this book is being written to settle scores and will likely include a lot of detail about their time within the Royal Family.
“Based on the Oprah Winfrey interview, some of these ex-workers simply do not trust that a full and accurate picture will be presented.
“Conversations have already started about what steps they might be able to take to protect their own reputation and that of the monarchy post-publication.”
STAFF BULLYING ALLEGATIONS
It follows allegations that Meghan Markle bullied royal staff during her time at the Palace, which are still being investigated more than four months after they were initially reported.
The Palace launched the investigation after the Duchess of Sussex was accused of bullying two senior staff members. Meghan said the bullying allegations were part of a “calculated smear campaign”.
Jason Knauf, who worked in comms for both the Cambridges and the Sussexes, submitted an official email in October 2018.
Meghan allegedly snapped “it’s not my job to coddle people” after aides were left in tears and humiliated by her “difficult demands”.
For his memoir, Harry is collaborating with celebrated ghostwriter JR Moehringer, who has written memoirs for tennis legend Andre Agassi and Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
It has been described as the “definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him”.
Buckingham Palace has allegedly been warned they “should be afraid” of what’s to come from it.
