Meghan Markle has found herself embroiled in a new controversy as she prepares to launch her highly anticipated lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. Just as the Duchess of Sussex moves closer to unveiling the brand by year-end, accusations of bullying have surfaced, casting a shadow over her efforts.
Multiple reports have highlighted disturbing allegations from former employees. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that former staff at Archewell referred to her as “Duchess Difficult” and a “dictator in high heels.” Another source, The Daily Beast, shared that ex-staff members went as far as calling Meghan a “demon” with “psycho moments” while working under her leadership.
Royal expert Hugo Vickers weighed in on the situation, expressing little surprise over the claims. He advised that Meghan should “always be polite” to employees to avoid issues like these. Vickers also revealed a past incident in which Meghan was reprimanded by the late Queen Elizabeth after allegedly being “very rude” to a gardener at Windsor. “The head gardener went to complain to the Queen, and she told her off because she obviously didn’t like people being rude to staff,” he told The Sun.
Vickers added, “You should always be very polite to people who work for you, because otherwise, they’re going to get very put out.”
Adding to her challenges, Meghan is also facing a legal hurdle over the trademark of her lifestyle brand. She has already passed the first month of a three-month deadline to resolve the issue. Failure to do so could result in the trademark application being abandoned, which would be a major blow just as the brand is set to launch.
This combination of negative press and legal complications could create significant obstacles for Meghan as she steps into the world of lifestyle and wellness entrepreneurship. As the spotlight intensifies, all eyes are on how she will handle the growing scrutiny.
