Alleged treatment of Meghan Markle’s ‘Mean Girls’ staff examined in report

Since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were branded “disaster tourists” for visiting the smoldering ruins of homes lost in the Eaton Fire, the couple faces new scrutiny over personal, professional and reputational problems they faced over the next five years. they left royal life and moved to California.

Unfortunately for the Montecito-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex, “American Hustle,” a new Vanity Fair cover story, appears to confirm previous reports that Meghan was a “terrible,” “difficult” and even “intimidating” boss. towards its employees. . For this 8,000-word article, the magazine spoke to dozens of people, a number of whom could only be interviewed anonymously because they were required to sign nondisclosure agreements.

While Harry may be ‘charming’, if it seems like he ‘has no inner life’ other than polo, Vanity Fair reported that Meghan seems keen to be ‘a good person’ and to engage “in improving the world (if that is also the case). brand building activities). And yet the former television actor has become a polarizing figure in America. She also tends to engage in what writer Anna Peele described as retaliatory behavior against “people whose status is so lower than her status”.

Someone who struggled working on Meghan and Harry’s struggling media projects at Netflix and Spotify told Vanity Fair that her relationships with employees tended to follow a familiar pattern. It would be “warm and expansive at first, engendering an atmosphere of professional camaraderie.”

When something didn’t work, often because of Meghan and Harry’s own demands — like a teaser for her Spotify podcast released months before she’d even recorded an episode — she “became cold and reserved toward the person she perceived as being”. responsible,” the source told Vanity Fair.

The source said it was “really, really, really horrible.” Very painful. Because she’s constantly playing checkers – I’m not even going to say chess – but she’s just very aware of everyone’s position on her board. And when you’re not there, you must be thrown to the wolves at any time.

Meghan’s treatment of her subordinates could be “damaging,” the source also told Vanity Fair. “It eats away at your self-esteem. Really, like the teenager from “Mean Girls.”

Before working with Meghan, the person found it hard to believe stories that Meghan was bullying palace aides or yelling at them after her marriage to Harry in 2018. The first reports came from the Times UK in 2021, a year after Meghan and Harry left Britain, denouncing cruel and racist treatment by the tabloids and the royal family. But after working with Meghan, this person discovered that such behavior happened “on any given Tuesday.”

Vanity Fair reported that one person took time off after working with Meghan on three episodes of her Spotify podcast “Archetypes,” while “several others” said they took extended breaks, quit their jobs or attended therapy at long term after working with the former television actor.

“I think if Meghan recognized her own flaws or personal contributions to situations rather than staying trapped in a victim narrative, her perception might be better,” one person told Vanity Fair, before half-jokingly saying : “But who am I to criticize Meghan Markle? She is doing very well.

The Vanity Fair report comes at a crucial time for Harry and Meghan’s efforts to succeed as media moguls, entrepreneurs and global do-gooders.

Meghan’s plan to launch herself as a lifestyle guru last week, with her new Netflix series “With Love, Meghan,” was put on hold following the outbreak of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires on Jan. 8 . Meghan announced that the series would be postponed until March 4, “as we focus on the needs of those affected by the wildfires in my home state of California.”

Her critics said she and Netflix clearly had no choice but to delay a show that would depict the Duchess celebrating her lavish lifestyle in Southern California with her famous friends, after so many others in Pacific Palisades and Altadena have lost everything.

Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan initially received glowing headlines for traveling to Pasadena last Friday to serve meals, leave donations and hug survivors of the Eaton fire. But they quickly began drawing harsh criticism online from actress Justine Bateman and others outraged at being photographed and given a personal tour of the burned neighborhoods from Pasadena’s mayor.

Bateman called them “disaster tourists” and “ambulance chasers.” TMZ founder Harvey Levin and his producers also blasted the couple featured earlier this week. “I think it’s crazy that there are people, most people can’t get into these areas, especially in Altadena and don’t even know if their homes are still there,” Levin said. “So that Meghan and Harry arrive from Montecito and get a guided tour? For what purpose?

Executive producer Charles Latibeaudiere acknowledged it appeared to be “a poor use of resources,” while senior news producer Charlie Neff said their visit “didn’t sit well with people in the community…”. Going out there doing this doesn’t seem authentic or necessary.

It remains to be seen whether the criticism of the “disaster tourist” will continue. But the Vanity Fair story raises questions about their marriage, with Harry portrayed as a naive and lonely character who has failed to make friends and is desperate to reconnect with his family. One source suggested he wasn’t necessarily aware of the damage his tell-all memoir, “Spare,” would have on his relationship with his family. He is also described as having had such a strange and privileged upbringing that he does not “really know what life is” and does not understand the idea of ​​having to earn a living.

The story could also reignite controversy over Meghan’s bullying. Its representatives initially rejected the 2021 Times UK report as part of a “calculated smear campaign”, orchestrated by a royal establishment and a British press that had become hostile to it. Allegations of bullying appeared to subside after Buckingham Palace said in 2022 it would not release the findings of an internal investigation into Meghan’s alleged bullying.

But The Hollywood Reporter resurrected the topic with a scathing report in September, in which a source said Meghan “puts people down,” doesn’t listen to advice and is a “dictator in high heels” who rants and barks orders . She and Harry are both “poor decision-makers,” a source also said, which would explain why the two have only managed to produce one 12-episode podcast after two years and a $20 million contract. The Daily Beast followed up with another report citing employees who described her as “a demon” who had “psychotic moments.”

For its report, Vanity Fair spoke to people who had good experiences working with Meghan, including producer Jane Marie, who tried to help them develop podcasts for their Archewell productions. “She’s just a lovely, genuine person,” Marie said of Meghan.

Peele, the Vanity Fair writer, tried to offer a sympathetic view of why Meghan might have trouble managing her employees or have a chip on her shoulder about people judging or looking down on her. This dates back to when she pretended she was an outsider in high school, Peele noted.

“Is it surprising that a sense of victimhood and entitlement can continue to exist in someone who has been treated so horribly by the press and her husband’s family?” Peele wrote.

Meghan may also view some people as enemies or interlopers, not just as the “disgusting” media or as “her pitiful father and half-sister,” who sold stories about her to the tabloids, Peele said. Meghan’s enemies could also be professionals who work for her, from palace aides to those who “actually knew how to make a podcast,” Peele suggested. She might begin to view them as more powerful than she is, “despite her immense fame, wealth, and privilege,” Peele wrote.

“And whatever happened to them, well…they shouldn’t have come between Meghan and her good work,” Peele concluded.

Originally published: January 17, 2025 at 4:10 p.m. PST