MEGHAN Markle’s lawyer has compared allegations of bullying against her to upsetting a seven-year-old by telling them to brush their teeth.
Jenny Afia insisted claims that the duchess “traumatised” Palace staff are “absolutely untrue” – and the term bullying is used “very casually”.
Meghan, 40, was accused of driving two personal assistants out of the royal household due to her “totally unacceptable” behaviour.
Staff were said to be left in tears and feeling “humiliated” by her actions, and claimed she “governed by fear” and snapped: “It’s not my job to coddle people.”
The allegations sparked an internal investigation, but the duchess has repeatedly denied the claims.
And her solicitor has reiterated that the Meghan she knows is not a bully.
Speaking with permission from the actress-turned-royal, Ms Afia, from libel law firm Schillings, said: “I think the first thing is to be really clear about what bullying is because the term gets used very, very casually.
“My daughter called me a bully last week when I asked her to brush her teeth – she’s seven years old.
“So the term is used very freely and it’s a very, very damaging term as we know, particularly I think for career women.”
The lawyer, who was speaking to BBC journalist Amol Rajan on podcast Harry, Meghan and the Media, added: “What bullying actually means is improperly using power repeatedly and deliberately to hurt someone, physically or emotionally.
“The Duchess of Sussex absolutely denies ever doing that.
“Knowing her as I do I can’t believe she would ever do that.
“I wasn’t there at the time but it doesn’t match my experience of her at all and I’ve seen her at very, very stressful times.
“So that story is absolutely untrue that she is a bully.
“That said, she wouldn’t want to negate anyone’s personal experiences.”
The probe into the allegations has only seen a “handful of people who used to work for her” interviewed, insiders claimed last month.
Sources fear the investigation is being “kicked into the long grass” more than nine months later.
Meghan’s legal team previously described the allegations, first reported by The Times, as a “calculated smear campaign”.
