Not publishing the results of the investigation into the Meghan bullying allegations is met with criticism: a “step backwards for transparency”.
The British royal family has completed the investigation into allegations of bullying against Duchess Meghan (40), but does not want to publish the results. According to British media reports, a high-ranking palace source said the staff involved in the investigation had been assured of confidentiality. But the secrecy is now being criticized from many sides.
Secrecy can fuel fake news
“Buckingham Palace’s obsession with secrecy” is a “danger,” Norman Baker (64), former government minister and author of the Royal book “And What Do You Do?” quoted by Newsweek. Baker went on to tell the US news magazine that he had faced similar confidentiality issues as a member of the UK government. “Of course some people need to be protected, but you can do that by blurring out the names,” he explained. The conclusion not to publish the results is not an option.
And then he gets to the point: “The danger with this Palace obsession with secrecy is that one version of the story will be published in California and another in London and you won’t know what the truth is. It would be much better if they did would publish soon.” And he added: “Transparency is a great cleanser. Secrecy breeds arrogance and cover-up and encourages wrongdoing. If you keep exposing things, people don’t misbehave.”
Unfair to everyone involved
Not only is Meghan’s reputation at stake, but also that of the palace, which is tasked with creating a positive environment for staff and family members. And the secrecy could also have gone down badly with the former Meghan employees. They were not informed of the result either, so they will never officially know whether they were treated badly or not.
Graham Smith, executive director of anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, told the US news outlet: “I think that’s deeply disingenuous. It looks like they [Buckingham Palast, Red.] allow people to draw their own conclusions about Duchess Meghan and whether the bullying took place or not without clarifying it.” But he thinks: “People should know if something happened and if the result was in favor of one or the other page has failed. I think that leaves everyone in the dark and that seems very unfair to everyone involved.”
“Step Back for Transparency”
Buckingham Palace’s refusal to publish is a “major step backwards” in terms of transparency, another critic warns. “In my opinion, this ostensible desire for full transparency has taken a huge step backwards,” said Joe Little, a royal commentator and managing editor of Majesty Magazine. the Guardian. “They could have said more without going into details. And I think it’s this total reluctance to even give any details that has made for awkward front-page headlines,” Little continued.
When it comes to health, few would dispute that the Queen and her family have a right to privacy. “But when it comes to finances, allegations of racism and bullying, I think they should be dealt with more transparently,” Little said. Otherwise, it reflects badly on the institution. “It gives the impression that something is being covered up for someone’s benefit.”
understanding of the decision
Occasionally there is also understanding for the secrecy decision. The Queen believes that there is enough drama about Prince Harry (37) and Duchess Meghan and therefore wants the Duchess’ bullying investigation to be handled privately, a royal expert becomes quoted from Mail Online. In this way “a line can be drawn”.
The Times report sparked an investigation
The investigation was commissioned by Buckingham Palace in March 2021, following a report in The Times newspaper. It alleged that there was a complaint of bullying against the Duchess of Sussex. The allegations are said to come from one of their closest associates and stem from the days when the Sussexes were still royals at Kensington Palace. According to the allegations in the complaint, which The Times says was filed in October 2018, Meghan evicted two personal assistants and damaged the confidence of a third employee.
Immediately following the report, Meghan issued a statement: “The Duchess is saddened by this recent attack on her character, especially as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma . She is determined to continue her work of building compassion around the world and will continue to strive to set an example of what is right and good.”
A day later, the palace announced an investigation into the allegations. It was “really very concerned about the allegations in the Times,” it said in a statement. Therefore, the circumstances described in the article will be examined. An external law firm had been commissioned to investigate.
On Wednesday (June 29), Sir Michael Stevens, a member of the Palace, said at a regular press briefing: “I know many of you want to know if our annual report [Sovereign Grant Report] contains any information about the review of the old bullying allegations that we announced in March 2021,” he said, and immediately afterwards: “The report does not contain anything about it. As we said last year, this investigation was conducted privately and no public money was spent on it.” But Stevens did confirm one thing: “The review is complete and the recommendations for our policies and procedures have been implemented, but we will not comment further.”
Meghan and Harry no longer senior royals since 2020
Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry have been married since May 2018. A year later, their son Archie (3) was born. In early 2020, the Sussexes stepped down as senior members of the royal family and relocated to California. The couple’s second child, daughter Lilibet (1), was born there in June 2021.