Palace appoints external lawyers to probe MM bullying...

[Sprining]

Last week, in the lead up to Meghan and Harry’s eagerly anticipated Oprah interview, Palace sources were quoted as saying that the Palace was “prepared to retaliate with fresh disclosures about the couple’s behaviour if the monarchy is attacked”.

Great, so what next

External lawyers to probe bullying by other royals?
External lawyers to probe racism within RF?
External lawyers to probe whether there was disability discrimination in denying support for mental health?
External lawyers to problem Andrews behaviour and whether it broke public code of conduct (not criminal investigation, but did he bring us into disrepute type of stuff)?

Is this a vendetta or is RF finally going to be be subject to public accountability?

These rumours are really old, I generally believe things reported like this in the Times. They have reported before about a HNW individual punching and abusing staff with the name redacted, something I personally witnessed.

Despite being under very strict NDAs, staff talk to each other. It’s a small world.

@Sprining

They are family. Not employer and employee

But they are employer and employee too? Otherwise what is a ‘working’ royal?

And as I mentioned, family businesses are subject to employment law

They are not classed as employees and do not have employment contracts,

The palace needs to be seen to be impartial. If they find for the employees who have complained, then there is a huge risk Meghan and Harry will kick off that its a smear campaign. If they find for Meghan and Harry rhe employees will potentially argue it’s a cover up. So independent lawyers is the best way forward.

Meghan and Harry are not asking for any form of employment related investigations, nor are they raising formal employment complaints. They’ve just went on tv and made a vague allegation, with both of them giving a different account.

I think you’re confused, a family can own a business and have a private argument or disagreement and fall out. It does not mean that’s an employment based complaint.

Apparently she is 'demanding' access to BP emails etc! Who the hell does she think she is?

Typical Daily Mail spin to get exactly this reaction.
If they said she requested access to the emails, or asked to see them there would have been much less frothing.

@jollygoose

Meghan has made many allegations against the royal family. If they investigated themselvesthey would be accused of white washing thus hey have employed lawyers to do this. Surely they are entitled to prove or disprove what has been made to look racists.

It would be good if they hired lawyers or an independent party to investigate racism claims.

Sadly that is not on the cards

It was their choice to give the interview while Meghan was pregnant, so I don't think you can ask people to make allowances for that reason. Not that M and H have asked for that.

@Bluntness100

They are a family, a family firm and a public tax payer funded organisation.

In which capacity did racism occur? In which capacity was adequate access to mental health not provided?

If they are ‘working royals’, whom are they working for?
Do working royals get payment from the taxpayer?
Are they subject to equality legislation?
So many questions

But they refused to substantiate the racism claims. Unless they are willing to substantiate this in private then how can this be investigated? With the bullying it looks like there is a paper trail.

Yes the timing is suspicious. But if you go to war against the RF it would be utterly naive not to expect retaliation.

And finally, she didn’t want to wait till her baby was delivered so how does that matter? She was happy to do a stressful interview in the middle of a pregnancy. And then followed up with complaints to Ofcom. She can handle this I am sure.

The mental health thing seems like a private allegation. She didn’t ask for it as a working royal. She asked the HR team who then said no you are not an employee. There was nothing stopping Harry from seeking medical help privately. I believe he was asked that and he said he couldn’t. I have no idea why since he’s been under therapy himself for years and it’s been fairly public.

We don’t have to investigate every single allegation/piece of gossip made to a talk show host in the US. If they put it in writing and complained to BP (which these employees did) and this was ignored then that would be another matter. This is all he said and she said in a family context. I don’t see why this deserves a public investigation.

I’m curious on what the bullying actually was and if other royals have done the same, will they be getting the same attention.

It’s a bit suspect that someone who seemingly has no history of bullying is now being investigated over something that happened three years ago. Surely if she was a bully there would be more evidence prior moving to the U.K. and she would have been investigated and vetted as well while they were dating. The RF had a year to do so before they became public. When Lea Michelle from Glee was called out for bullying, other actors on the show didn’t mince words and said it was true and backed up the victim. Meghan hasn’t had that, quite the opposite and it would have been said in the British tabloids when they were already making her out as a Bridezilla before the wedding.

@GCAcademic

Exactly. I'm sure the people shouting about how unfair it all is are just being wilfully ignorant.

There's an actual term for it: "motivated ignorance". There is actually little point in engaging with it, because the position is unshiftable and impervious to facts, reason or any other of the usual mechanisms of discussion.

I'd not heard that term before. You're spot on though.

“She didn’t ask for it as a working royal. She asked the HR team who then said no you are not an employee.“

If she asked HR, then she was asking as a working royal, no?

Presumably as working members of the ‘firm’ they are employees in some capacity?

Who addresses their work concerns and needs?

@phoenixrosehere

I’m curious on what the bullying actually was and if other royals have done the same, will they be getting the same attention.

It’s a bit suspect that someone who seemingly has no history of bullying is now being investigated over something that happened three years ago. Surely if she was a bully there would be more evidence prior moving to the U.K. and she would have been investigated and vetted as well while they were dating. The RF had a year to do so before they became public. When Lea Michelle from Glee was called out for bullying, other actors on the show didn’t mince words and said it was true and backed up the victim. Meghan hasn’t had that, quite the opposite and it would have been said in the British tabloids when they were already making her out as a Bridezilla before the wedding.

Yes

@GCAcademic

Exactly. I'm sure the people shouting about how unfair it all is are just being wilfully ignorant.

There's an actual term for it: "motivated ignorance". There is actually little point in engaging with it, because the position is unshiftable and impervious to facts, reason or any other of the usual mechanisms of discussion.

I'll remember this. Thanks

I've lost count of how many times you've used the phrase "the royal baby" ....

The "royal"baby is an accident of birth derived from the accident of birth that made Harry a prince and member of an Uber priveleged group whose privilege derives from feudalism; instead of Darren the brickie from Newcastle.

Stop putting them on a pedestal.

They don't deserve to be there, and we don't need any more reinforcement of them (and their babies) being some sort of exalted, special, superior form of human. They're not.

Stop putting them on a pedestal.

Whether you like it or not, they’re still a part of the royal family. Saying the “royal baby” is nowhere near saying that the two are better than anyone else nor is the baby. Relax.

They've left the royal family anyway haven't they so the baby won't be a royal.

Whether you like it or not, they’re still a part of the royal family.

Spectacularly missing my point.

It's not Harry "Windsor" and Meghan Markle's baby I think shouldnt be referred to as "the Royal Baby" (which like most phrases used about the entire family smacks of deference and of having been successfully brainwashed not to think about these people and their position) .... it's anyone's.

Relax.

I'm perfectly relaxed. Shall I respond in similarly patronising & dismissive "if you express an unpopular (with some) opinion, you must be angry and highly strung" manner;

Calm down, dear.

Saying the “royal baby” is nowhere near saying that the two are better than anyone else nor is the baby.

Do you really believe that lol.

The entire concept of royal is based on superiority, status, privilege and (previously) power.
Hence Your Royal Highness, your Majesty, bowing, curtseying etc. Not to mention their lifestyle while the UK has 30% (?) of children in poverty.

It’s a bit suspect that someone who seemingly has no history of bullying is now being investigated over something that happened three years ago

How do you know this? That there is no history? If you go buy her families version there is plenty of history of bullying behaviour. Her father particularly. But again it’s different between friends and family. This is the first time she’s been in effectively a managerial role. With employees working for her.

Agencies who also worked for them have previously stated its nigh on impossible to work with them.

I really don’t think it’s a safe assumption that this is the first accusation, it’s clearly not. Her own father is accusing her of the same thing. This is the first formal employee complaint, and these were her first employees.

@CreosoteQueen

Of course they’re not reasonable. They didn’t raise a hair at a literal pedophile under their protection but have brought in lawyers to investigate allegations of bullying that mysteriously arise a year after the couple leaves the U.K., just as a tell all interview airs. I can’t see how any reasonable person could side with the RF on this.

Firstly Andrew isn’t a paedophile, literal or otherwise, he’s alleged to have had sex with a trafficked woman.

Several employees have made accusations of bullying by a member of the royal household of course it’s being investigated. How would you feel if you were one of those employees? It seems very sensible to contract out the investigation to ensure its independence.

They are a family, a family firm and a public tax payer funded organisation

All very true - and like the Duchy or Cornwall, which swings between being a Crown Body, a Private Estate and probably other things too, the narrative changes according to what suits at the time

For me, this whole ghastly mess is a classic case of nobody being right or wrong all the time, and given the mix of a toxic institution and a malicious couple trying to stir, the result was never going to look pretty

They refused to substantiate the racism claims. Unless they are willing to substantiate this in private then how can this be investigated?

It can't - however that's why I expect the RF, the lawyers or both will ask for details, and why I added that it's to be hoped they can provide some

After that, a lot may depend on what the motivation was for making the allegations in the first pace. Was it to get an apology? To push for institutional reform? Or to maliciously fling a load of mud to smear the entire RF?

Who knows?

For me, this whole ghastly mess is a classic case of nobody being right or wrong all the time, and given the mix of a toxic institution and a malicious couple trying to stir, the result was never going to look pretty

I think this is pretty true.

The culture difference between Meghan and the royals was massive and was going to need a lot of hard work, goodwill and determination on all sides to bridge the gap. I don't specifically mean race here (although it's a feature) but the clash between outspoken American actress and traditional british family/institution. The RF seems to have tried initially - she was given some pretty experienced staff to support her and plenty of traditional rules were bent/broken. It obviously wasn't enough - but I don't think the blame for that lies entirely at the royal door. But once things weren't working I don't think H&M were ever going to just move on. They both seem compelled to blame others when I think some reflection would reveal faults on all sides.

Agree @Puzzledandpissedoff and @StatisticallyChallenged

Although I don’t think mm is being malicious. It is a complete culture clash