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Rumors have long swirled about Meghan Markle’s unpleasant behavior toward staff during her time as a working royal. But Buckingham Palace has steadfastly refused to share details of what was uncovered during its 2021 investigation into bullying accusations against the Duchess of Sussex. 

One royal expert thinks he knows why that report has remained under wraps. According to Andrew Lownie, the author of the 2025 bestseller the Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, the Palace was afraid that disclosing the report’s findings would result in questions about another royal’s infamously bad behavior. 

In early 2021, the royals were desperately trying to manage the escalating situation with then-Prince Andrew. His ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations that he’d sexually abused and assaulted Virginia Giuffre had made the Duke of York the focus of mounting public criticism. 

“In January 2021, the Royal Family held a summit, and Andrew’s siblings agreed that there was no way back for him because of the reputational damage he was causing the monarchy and his ‘ungracious and ungrateful’ attitude,” Lownie wrote in his book. 

“After Meghan Markle was accused of bullying staff, Buckingham Palace braced itself for historic complaints about Prince Andrew’s bullying, profanities, and impossible demands,” he continued. 

Andrew—who was ultimately stripped of his royal titles in 2025—was volatile, Lownie wrote. One of his former aides had been “reduced to tears” after Andrew lashed out because he was unhappy with a tabloid story about him. Another employee was reassigned because the prince “disliked a mole on the man’s face” and wore a tie made of synthetic fabric. 

All of those allegations against Andrew mean the palace was not keen to acknowledge alleged bullying—and even worse behavior—by another member of the family. 

“The report on Markle has never been released, some say because it would also raise questions about the behavior of the Queen’s second son,” per Lownie. 

Meanwhile, Andrew was apparently in open conflict with Meghan’s husband, Prince Harry. In Entitled, Lownie reports that before the two wed, Andrew told Harry that the marriage wouldn’t last and accused the Suits star of being an “opportunist” who was “too old” for the prince, whom he thought was making a huge mistake by marrying her. Harry was apparently incensed by Andrew’s comments. 

For her part, Meghan has denied claims that she bullied people who worked with her. Several staffers left not long after she wed Harry in 2018, lending fuel to speculation that she was a bad boss. 

“The duchess is saddened by this 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,” Markle said in a 2021 statement (via the BBC). “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.”

When the palace launched its 2021 bullying investigation into Meghan, some people suggested that she was being used as a scapegoat by the Palace in an effort to distract the public from Andrew’s many and serious scandals. 

“Allegations about [Andrew] are far worse than the allegations about Meghan Markle. Prince Andrew was a working royal when he became a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, who was a sexual predator,” said Gloria Allred, a lawyer representing some of Epstein’s victims (via The Guardian).

“Why does Buckingham Palace not conduct an investigation and make a public statement condemning Prince Andrew[?] … The investigation into Meghan Markle is a distraction, and it appears hypocritical under the circumstances,” Allred added. “I have to wonder if it reflects a calculated decision to take the focus off of Prince Andrew.”

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