Most “royal experts” rely on racist dog-whistles, projection and classist subtext to fuel their coverage and commentary about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Tom Bower is built different. While I loathe the man, he actually says the thing outright: that he’s out to destroy Meghan and that the fate of the monarchy depends on “obliterating the Sussexes.” That’s how many royal experts feel, but no one but Bower is saying it. So it’s been interesting to watch Bower this week, as he tries to revive the “Meghan and the bullying investigation” story. The bullying investigation was conducted by an outside law firm at the behest of QEII. The investigation was concluded at some point in the spring of 2022, and the findings were buried. Now Bower says that King Charles should release the findings. I agree, but for a different reason. Bower thinks the findings will finally be the thing that hurts Meghan’s image. If that were true, the palace would have released the findings two years ago.
Buckingham Palace must release its ruling over allegations that the Duchess of Sussex bullied staff after a key witness broke her silence, a prominent Royal historian demanded tonight. Tom Bower told ‘The Reaction’ the decision by Meghan’s former senior adviser, Samantha Cohen, to admit she gave evidence into the investigation could burst the ‘dam’. Appearing as a guest for hosts Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce, Mr Bower argued: ‘At some stage, King Charles has got to decide, and I hope it is sooner rather than later, that the Sussexes must be exposed.’
Ms Cohen this week told Australian newspaper The Herald Sun she was one of ten staff who gave evidence to the internal probe. Mr Bower believes Ms Cohen’s decision to go on the record will bring fresh scrutiny onto the Sussexes, who have always denied any bullying allegations, and the secretive findings.
He said: ‘What is very interesting are two things in the run up after that. Firstly, the palace said they would investigate it and that investigation has been buried. More interestingly really is that the turnover of staff in the Sussex household in Montecito in California has been phenomenal. They have gone through dozens of people. Probably the Palace thinks this not the moment to reveal or release this information. I disagree.’
‘The key thing is until the Sussexes are ‘socially destroyed’ their credibility undermined; the Royal Family in Britain is going to be constantly their target,’ the best selling author believes. The author of ‘Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors’ added the complainants face a problem coming forward with future employers.
‘The question now is whether the other women involved decide to put their name and step up above the parapet and say they too have been interviewed and what their complaints are,’ he continued. ‘The problem for these women is if they come out and say that Meghan Markle treated them badly, however fair, employers of theirs will fear that they cannot be trusted over their secrets. They have a major problem of trust and that has always been Meghan’s strongest card.’
Again, Tom Bower said the thing explicitly, that his goal (and the goal of the British media and royal institution) is to socially destroy the Sussexes and undermine their credibility on a national and global scale. The fact that the Sussexes are thriving, well-liked, socially accepted and successful has ruined the whole royal institution and everyone around it. Anyway, it’s weird to agree with Tom Bower about anything but I would love nothing more than to see the full findings of the bullying investigation. I want reams of documents with interviews where KP staffers are shaking and sobbing over Meghan choosing her wedding flowers or organizing a photographer for the cookbook. The whole reason why the findings have never been made public is because William, Kate and their staff are the ones who look like incompetent a–holes.
In the Mail, Tom Bower says that in my book Courtiers I say Sam Cohen complained behind the scenes that she had been “treated harshly” while working for Harry and Meghan. This is not true. I wrote: “More than once, staff felt they were treated harshly.” No mention of Sam there.
— Valentine Low (@valentinelow) April 24, 2024
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.