Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Buckingham Palace will not release Meghan 'bullying' report

She denied the bullying allegations, which first emerged in March 2021, just before the Oprah interview, and called them “a calculated smear campaign”

Buckingham Palace will not release Meghan 'bullying' report

The details of a probe into allegations of bullying by the Duchess of Sussex against royal family staff will not be published despite its outcome leading to reform in the palace's administration, according to a senior family source.

Buckingham Palace launched an investigation last year and gathered testimony from staff about their experiences of working for Meghan, before she and her husband Prince Harry quit frontline duties in January 2020.


During a briefing on the annual royal finances report, published Thursday, a senior palace source said the details would remain hidden to protect the privacy of those who took part.

"Because of the confidentiality of the discussions we have not communicated the detailed recommendations," they said.

"The recommendations have been incorporated within policies and procedures wherever appropriate, and policies and procedures have changed."

Meghan and Harry shocked the royal family when they accused unnamed members of racism during an interview with US talk show star Oprah Winfrey.

She denied the bullying allegations, which first emerged in March 2021, just before the Oprah interview, and called them "a calculated smear campaign".

The allegations and the interview deepened a crisis for the family, which has been hit by revelations about Prince Andrew's links to late billionaire financier and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Relations between Harry and his father Prince Charles have reportedly been strained, but a royal source said he had a "very emotional" first meeting with his granddaughter Lili earlier this month.

Harry and Meghan were low-key attendees at the queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, jetting in from California with their children Lili, aged one, and Archie, aged three.

Charles's charitable foundation is currently under investigation for an alleged cash-for-honours scandal.

Separately, the Sunday Times last weekend reported Charles had accepted £2.5 million ($3 million) in charitable donations from Qatari former prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani in carrier bags and holdalls.

The royal source said at the Wednesday briefing the cash was "passed immediately to his charities".

"For more than half a decade, with the situation as it has evolved, this has not happened and it would not happen again," the source added.

Royal finances

The briefing was held as the family released its 2021/22 report on the Sovereign Grant, which pays for the monarch's official duties and upkeep of royal palaces.

The report showed the pandemic was still curtailing the family's earning power, with income below 50 per cent of pre-coronavirus levels as public visits to palaces took a hit.

Keeper of the Privy Purse Michael Stevens warned that the family finances were also likely to be squeezed by rising prices.

"Looking ahead, with the Sovereign Grant likely to be flat in the next couple of years, inflationary pressures on operating costs and our ability to grow supplementary income likely to be constrained in the short term," he said.

"We will continue to deliver against our plans and manage these impacts through our own efforts and efficiencies."

The grant came to £86.3 million in the financial year ending in March 2021, a slight rise from the year before.

The figure is made up of a core grant of £51.8 million, which funds official travel, property maintenance and the operating costs of the queen's household, and an additional £34.5 million for the reservicing of Buckingham Palace.

The grant is set as equivalent to 15 per cent of the profits of the Crown Estate -- a huge portfolio of land, property and other assets such as wind farms that belongs to the ruling monarch but is independently managed.

The Crown Estate's net income is handed to the Treasury under an agreement sealed in 1760.

(AFP)

More For You

11th UK Gatka Championship

All winners received medals and trophies

UK Parliament

11th UK Gatka Championship ends with Welsh debut and £1,000 support for Gatka Akharas

Highlights:

  • The 11th UK National Gatka Championship was hosted near Cardiff, marking the first time in Wales.
  • Winners included Roop Kaur (girls), Navjot Singh (boys), and Gurdeep Singh (men’s).
  • Gatka Federation UK awarded £1,000 to each participating Akhara to support martial arts promotion.
  • Chief guests included MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation.

Gatka Championship marks Welsh debut

The 11th UK National Gatka Championship concluded on a high note near Cardiff, Wales, showcasing the traditional Sikh martial art with flair. Seven leading Gatka Akharas participated, thrilling spectators with their lightning-fast strikes, precision moves and elegant techniques.

Inauguration by global leaders

The tournament was inaugurated by Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation (WGF) and the National Gatka Association of India (NGAI). He was joined by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP, President of Gatka Federation UK, alongside other dignitaries including Jagbir Singh Jagga Chakar, President of Wales Kabaddi Club, and community leaders from the Haveli Hotel Pontyclun.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vantara

The site, located in Gujarat, houses hundreds of elephants, as well as 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards, and 900 crocodiles. (Photo: Instagram/Vantara)

India court probe clears Ambani family’s animal centre

AN INDIAN Supreme Court-ordered investigation has cleared a large private animal facility run by the son of Asia’s richest man, rejecting allegations of wildlife violations.

Vantara, described as the “world’s biggest wild animal rescue centre,” is operated by Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer

Starmer, who has faced negative coverage since taking office in July 2024, defended the appointment process.

Reuters

Starmer: I would not have appointed Mandelson if aware of Epstein ties

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer said on Monday he would not have appointed Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington had he known the extent of his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

This was Starmer’s first public statement since dismissing Mandelson last week. The prime minister is facing questions over his judgement, including from Labour MPs, after initially standing by Mandelson before removing him from the post.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump

Trump said the suspect had been arrested earlier for 'terrible crimes,' including child sex abuse, grand theft auto and false imprisonment, but was released under the Biden administration because Cuba refused to take him back.

Getty Images

Trump says accused in Dallas motel beheading will face first-degree murder charge

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has described Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, the Indian-origin motel manager killed in Dallas, as a “well-respected person” and said the accused will face a first-degree murder charge.

Nagamallaiah, 50, was killed last week at the Downtown Suites motel by co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a 37-year-old undocumented Cuban immigrant with a criminal history.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer Mandelson

Starmer talks with Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty

Starmer under pressure from party MPs after Mandelson dismissal

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is facing questions within the Labour party after the sacking of US ambassador Peter Mandelson.

Mandelson was removed last week after Bloomberg published emails showing messages of support he sent following Jeffrey Epstein’s conviction for sex offences. The dismissal comes just ahead of US president Donald Trump’s state visit.

Keep ReadingShow less