This Royal Aide Confirms She Was Interviewed Over Claims of Staff Bullying by Meghan Markle

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Max Mumby

Did Meghan Markle bully the palace’s staff? A trusted royal aide, Samantha “the Panther” Cohen, admitted she was among the ten courtiers who were questioned in the probe regarding the ‘bullying’ allegations leveled against the Duchess of Sussex. However, she refused to elaborate on the details of the inquiry.
Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Max Mumby
Cohen, who’s been a loyal royal staff for nearly two decades, shared in an interview with the Australian publication The Herald-Sun, “I was only supposed to stay for six months but stayed for 18,” adding, “We couldn’t find a replacement for me, and when we did we took them on tour to Africa with Harry and Meghan to show them the ropes but they left (quit) as well while in Africa.”

Although she’s been a royal staff member for many years, Cohen has been dubbed “Samantha the Panther,” which is a perfect description of her no-nonsense personality. She first served as the late Queen Elizabeth’s press secretary for 17 years, moving on to becoming her assistant and private secretary.
Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Max Mumby
However, she stopped working for the royal household in 2019 after her brief stint with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as their private secretary. Cohen resigned from her position on the grounds of being ‘treated harshly.’ Also, according to historian Valentine Low in his book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, she likened her job to ‘working for teenagers.’

The royal aide was among the wedding guests at Prince Harry and Markle’s wedding in May 2018. Among the other key roles she played for the now-exiled royals, she assisted the Suits star for a garden party at Buckingham Palace, which marked her first-ever public appearance with her royal title: the Duchess of Sussex.

The bullying accusations against the 42-year-old actress surfaced after the couple’s inflammable sit-down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. Subsequently, a review was set up in Buckingham Palace in the wake of a report by The Times in the United Kingdom over a complaint filed by the Duke and Duchess’s former communications secretary, Jason Knauf. Apparently, Kanuf revealed that Markle reduced two senior staff members to tears with her offensive attitude, and he brought the information to the notice of Prince William’s then-private secretary, Simon Case, in October 2018. The HR complaint read, “I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X* was totally unacceptable.”

“The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights,” Knauf reportedly added. “She is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y.” He concluded, “I remain concerned that nothing will be done.”

Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Gary Miller
Immediately after the report, Markle’s spokesperson condemned, “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. 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.”

However, the palace reassured an investigation, and the claims would be examined “privately.” Subsequently, the palace released a statement, “The review has been completed and recommendations on our policies and procedures have been taken forward, but we will not be commenting further.” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex strenuously denied the allegations and called it a “calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation.”