The Duchess of Sussex was accused of bullying in an article published by The Times, which said she “drove two personal assistants out of the household and was undermining the confidence of a third staff member” at Kensington Palace.

Meghan Markle’s spokesperson said she was “saddened by the latest attack on her character,particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma.”

The spokesman continued, “She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good.”

This was after two senior palace staff employees informed Valentine Low, a Times of London writer, that the duchess had bullied them.

According to The report, the Sussexes’ communications secretary, Jason Knauf, filed an official complaint about the Duchess’s behavior in 2018, ostensibly to get Buckingham Palace to intervene and safeguard his employees.

This was “seemingly in an effort to get Buckingham Palace to protect staff who he claimed were coming under pressure from the duchess. Prince Harry pleaded with Knauf not to pursue it,” according to a source.

“Senior people in the household, Buckingham Palace and Clarence House, knew that they had a situation where members of staff, particularly young women, were being bullied to the point of tears,” a source tells publication.

The Duchess “humiliated” them, brought employees to tears, and participated in what seemed like “emotional cruelty and manipulation,” according to royal aides who allegedly approached The Times to offer a more full picture of the Duchess’ time as a working Royal.

However, a representative for the duchess refuted these accusations, telling The New York Times that the charges were most likely made to derail the couple’s interview with Oprah, which was due to broadcast on CBS.

“Let’s just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation. We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of The Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet,” the spokesperson says in part in a statement to The Times.

“It’s no coincidence that distorted several-year-old accusations aimed at undermining The Duchess are being briefed to the British media shortly before she and The Duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience of recent years.”

The Times story has sparked outrage on social media in the United Kingdom, with many pointing out that while Markle has gotten a lot of press and criticism for these allegations, Prince Andrew, another member of the Royal Family, has gotten a lot less for his ties to disgraced pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Markle’s attorneys seemed to attack Kensington Palace in a court statement filed in July as part of her legal battle with the Mail on Sunday, indicating that it did little to help the duchess during a period of “tremendous emotional distress.”