The Duchess of Cambridge was reportedly left in tears after confronting Meghan Markle just days before the royal wedding over claims she had bullied staff, Kirstie Allsopp has claimed.
Kate Middleton, 39, was said to have been left in tears after she ‘lost control’ during a row with her future sister-in-law, which stemmed over claims Meghan had been rude to Palace staff, television presenter Ms Allsopp told The Telegraph.
The infamous row, which took place in May 2018, just days before Meghan and Harry’s wedding on May 19, was addressed by Meghan, 40, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year.
Meghan claimed in the interview that she was the one who cried during the argument, which she said was about flower girl dresses, but that Kate had later given her flowers and a note to apologise.
Kate Middleton (pictured with Prince William) was said to have been left in tears after row with Meghan Markle in 2018, which stemmed over claims Meghan had been rude to Palace staff
She told the American host: ‘A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining – yes, the issue was correct – about flower girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings.’
But Ms Allsopp has now said Kate was the one who cried, and claimed the argument was over allegations that Meghan was rude to Kensington Palace staff.
Ms Allsopp, who is a family friend of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, told The Telegraph: ‘Kate never ever loses her temper, but she found out Meghan was being rude to staff at Kensington Palace and she was angry with her.
‘Then, Kate burst into tears because she’d lost control and she did take Meghan flowers to try and patch things up.’
Camilla was a childhood friend of the Location, Location, Location presenter’s late mother Lady Fiona Hindlip, and is the godmother to her brother Henry.
MailOnline has contacted Meghan’s representatives for comment.
Earlier this year, Meghan (pictured with Harry) claimed she was the one who cried. She said the row was about flower girl dresses, and said Kate had given her flowers and a note to apologise
Earlier this week, Meghan’s lawyer Jenny Afia addressed claims that she inflicted ’emotional cruelty’ on underlings and ‘drove them out’. The Schillings lawyer said Meghan ‘absolutely denied’ bullying staff.
The infamous row between Kate and Meghan was first reported in 2018, when it was said the Duchess of Cambridge ended up crying after a fitting for Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress.
At the time, an insider had claimed: ‘Kate had only just given birth to Prince Louis and was feeling quite emotional.’
But Meghan hit back at the claims when speaking to Oprah earlier this year, claiming she was the one who ended up in tears – not Kate.
The Duchess of Sussex said: ‘No, no. The reverse happened.
‘And I don’t say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding.
‘And she was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised.
‘And she brought me flowers and a note, apologising. And she did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone, right, to just take accountability for it.’
Ms Allsopp (pictured) has claimed that Kate was the one who cried, and claimed the argument was over allegations that Meghan was rude to Kensington Palace staff
The infamous row between Kate and Meghan (both pictured in 2019) was first reported three years ago, when it was said Kate cried after a fitting for Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress
But Ms Allsopp has now claimed that the dispute came after allegations that Meghan had bullied Palace staff.
In 2018, Buckingham Palace launched a review into claims that Meghan had inflicted ’emotional cruelty’ on underlings and ‘drove them out’.
She was said to have forced out two PAs and undermined the confidence of a third, but Meghan’s lawyer this week said the Duchess ‘absolutely denied’ any allegations of bullying.
Jason Knauf, who was the Sussexes’ former communications secretary, reportedly submitted a formal complaint in October 2018. In the complaint, he was said to have described Meghan’s behaviour towards an employee as ‘totally unacceptable’.
But Jenny Afia, Head of Legal at Schillings, who represents Meghan, this week insisted bullying claims printed about the Duchess were ‘false’ and said she rejected the ‘narrative’ that the former Suits actress was ‘difficult to work with’.
Speaking to host Amol Rajan for BBC 2’s The Princes and Press, she claimed there were ‘massive inaccuracies’ in the story, but went no further in explaining them.
This week, Meghan’s lawyer Jenny Afia insisted bullying claims about the Duchess (pictured in 2020) were ‘false’ and said she rejected the ‘narrative’ that she was ‘difficult to work with’
Instead, she launched her own technical explanation on what bullying was.
Speaking with the Duchess’ permission, she said: ‘Massive, massive inaccuracies in that story
‘The overall allegation was that the Duchess of Sussex was guilty of bullying. Absolutely not.
‘I think the first thing is, is to be really clear about what bullying is.
‘What bullying actually means is improperly using power, repeatedly and deliberately to hurt someone physically or emotionally
‘The Duchess of Sussex has absolutely denied doing that, that said she wouldn’t want to negate anyone’s personal experiences.’
Asked if she provided evidence proving that was not the case, she admitted: ‘It’s really hard to prove a negative. If you haven’t bullied someone how do you show that you haven’t.
‘Just denying an allegation ‘I didn’t beat my wife’ doesn’t address the underlying problem that the allegation has been made.’