Meghan was hit by a barrage of claims in a scathing Vanity Fair article (
Image: SIPA USA/PA Images)

Meghan Markle has been accused of being “awful” to work with if things didn’t go her way in a scathing article published five years after she and Harry stepped back as senior royals

Meghan Markle has been accused of behaving like a “Mean Girls teenager” in a way that was ‘undermining’ to staff.

The allegations come five years after Meghan and Prince Harry announced that they’d be stepping back as senior royals and would work to become financially independent. Following the announcement, the pair moved to Montecito in California and they have since been busy working on a series of projects as they build their brand and continue to champion causes close to their hearts.

But despite their success in rebuilding their life in the US, in a fresh blow to the pair a source has alleged that Meghan could be ‘really, really awful’ when things did not go her way at work.

Meghan now calls Montecito in California her home after leaving the UK ( 
Image:
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Project Healthy Minds)
Speaking to Vanity Fair, a source who worked in media projects claimed that it could be “very painful. Because she’s constantly playing checkers – I’m not even going to say chess – but she’s just very aware of where everybody is on her board. And when you are not in, you are to be thrown to the wolves at any given moment.”

The source added that it manifested as ‘undermining’ behaviour. They continued: “It’s talking behind your back. It’s gnawing at your sense of self. Really, like, Mean Girls teenager.” However, others were more positive of the Duchess of Sussex. Jane Marie, who worked with the couple during development of Archewell audio projects, claimed that the former Suits star was a ‘lovely, genuine person’.

The Mirror has contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.

In response to the allegations, it has been reported that Prince Harry and Meghan have dismissed the string of bombshell claims made against them. According to The Times, the pair have dismissed the allegations, with a source describing them as “distressing”.

Meanwhile, comments from Sharon Stone have resurfaced online, with the actress openly showing her support for the Sussexes following their move to Montecito in 2020. Speaking to Hello! Magazine at the time, she said: “The thing about them, which is so great, is that they didn’t come here to live off of our community, they came here to be a part of our community.”

It comes fives years after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals ( 
Image:
Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Elsewhere, former employees of the couple have also come to their defence. Mr Kettler, who lasted three months in the role of Harry’s chief of staff, told US Weekly that he was ‘warmly welcomed’ by the pair and their Archewell team. “They are dedicated and hardworking. It was impressive to witness,” he added.

Harry and Meghan’s current global press secretary Ashley Hansen also praised the Sussexes for their support. After undergoing surgery, Ashley was required to take time off work and subsequently received supportive phone calls, care packages and flowers from Meghan.

“When I told them, I was met with the kind of concern and care a parent would express if it were their own child,” she said.

“Most profoundly to me, Meghan would personally reach out to my husband daily to make sure that we both were OK and had support. It meant so much to him and even more to me. You don’t realise how much that kind of kindness and thought means until you need it.”