Bullying allegations involving Meghan Markle on Wednesday brought the British royal family to a level of crisis unprecedented in recent memory.
Buckingham Palace said it was "very concerned" about a report in The Times newspaper detailing allegations of bullying from the former staff of Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan.
"Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article," Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned."
The Royal Household will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace, it added.
Based on reports from royal household sources who spoke to The National, it is thought officials are "getting the other side of the story in" before the couple are shown in Sunday's watershed interview with Oprah Winfrey.
In a second clip from the impending interview released on Wednesday, Meghan accuses the Royal Family of "perpetuating lies".
The revelations demonstrate that a potentially irreparable rift has opened up between Prince Harry, his wife and the rest of the royal household, including his older brother Prince William.
The two previously inseparable siblings are now at daggers drawn, with the royal family lurching into an unseemly row.
The whirlwind romance between the actress Meghan Markle and the battle-hardened prince who served in Afghanistan, culminated in engagement in November 2017.
Meghan embraced her new role, giving up acting, promoting her humanitarian interests and applying for British citizenship. She was even baptised into the Church of England with water from the River Jordan flown in specially.
As the wedding day approached, hints of a rift appeared. Prince William reportedly told his brother of his concerns over the marriage.
"William was worried that Harry was rushing into things and had become besotted, and asked if she was the right person to marry," a royal insider told The National. "That was the start of the problems and they resented him saying it."
That was largely forgotten in the sunshine and splendour of the wedding day in May 2018, when the British public expressed their delight and were able to observe a galaxy of American stars in Windsor.
Among that firmament was Oprah Winfrey, invited by Meghan as a friend but, curiously, was someone she had met only once.
“I wonder whether she ever intended on remaining in the royal family in the first place,” the insider said.
While weddings put strain on many relationships, the first cracks emerged as Meghan's father Thomas provided some unhelpful commentary, culminating in a familial rift that meant he did not walk his daughter down the aisle. The resultant stress surfaced briefly when media reported that her personal assistant had quit only six months after the marriage.
Tension ran high in the palace over Meghan’s demands, leading to Harry becoming “petulant and short-tempered” with members of staff, according to royal biographer Robert Jobson. "Raising his voice on occasion, Harry would insist: 'What Meghan wants, she gets'," he wrote.
That appeared to be borne out when the couple moved out of Kensington Palace less than a year after the marriage. The rift between the brothers had grown, not helped by an apparent lack of friendship between their respective wives.
A new start was made when the couple moved into Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Castle estate, given to them by Queen Elizabeth, where they had their first child, Archie, in 2019.
But even then there were reports of misunderstandings, with questions asked about why vintage motor cars were parked out front.
“They looked out their window and didn't like how the cars were parked outside,” the royal source said. “It turned out that cars were parked there for a sports club, which had been at Windsor Castle for about half a century.”
There was then a suggestion that they might move to Africa for a few months, while Buckingham Palace did its best to quash reports of an irreconcilable split with the couple.
But in early 2020, without consulting Queen Elizabeth, the Sussexes dropped the bombshell that they would be "stepping back" as senior royals to become financially independent, dividing their time between Britain and the US. Buckingham Palace said it was disappointed, in royal terms considered a strong rebuke.
Meghan and Harry's office in the palace closed in March last year and having finished their last royal duties, they were on their way to a new home in California in June. Some long-range sniping across the Atlantic followed, with the brothers' relationship still sour and Meghan taking legal action against British newspapers.
This year it was reported that the couple would do an interview with chat-show host Oprah Winfrey, about which it was suggested the queen, Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge had good cause to be nervous. Indeed, they are advised to "hide behind the sofa" when it is broadcast on Sunday in the US, and the next day in Britain.
Five days before broadcast, Meghan’s alleged bullying was reported in the press. Allegations included “emotional cruelty and manipulation” that left staff “shaking with fear”, and that personal assistants were driven out of their jobs. An official complaint was made yet little appears to have come of it until now. Further investigation is likely.
A spokesman for the couple strongly denied the allegations, telling the newspaper that the couple were "victims of a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation".
The timing and release of the story was significant, according to the royal insider. "It has come out now before the interview, in case Meghan makes allegations that she was badly treated," the source said. "This tells another side to the story."
The Times newspaper reported on Wednesday that Meghan "craved rejection" because ultimately, she never intended to remain within the strict confines of being a British royal.
"I don't think Meghan had any intention of ever staying in this country," the royal source told The National. "And I don't think she's ever going to come back. She certainly won't get a very warm welcome."
Meghan and Harry’s side of the story will be given in undiluted detail on Sunday. An indication of what she might say can be found from a quote she gave a year ago before departing British shores. “I gave up my entire life for this family,” Meghan told a friend. “I was willing to do whatever it takes. But here we are. It's very sad.”
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
'The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure'
Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, Penguin Randomhouse
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENomad%20Homes%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHelen%20Chen%2C%20Damien%20Drap%2C%20and%20Dan%20Piehler%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20and%20Europe%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20PropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2444m%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Acrew%20Capital%2C%2001%20Advisors%2C%20HighSage%20Ventures%2C%20Abstract%20Ventures%2C%20Partech%2C%20Precursor%20Ventures%2C%20Potluck%20Ventures%2C%20Knollwood%20and%20several%20undisclosed%20hedge%20funds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
