A former Buckingham Palace employee who claims to have been bullied by the Duchess of Sussex has urged it to release staff from non-disclosure arrangements so they can reject Harry and Meghan’s ‘lies’ ahead of their Netflix series.
In a second trailer for their docu-series Harry & Meghan, released on Monday, Prince Harry, 38, alleged the couple suffered from leaks and stories that had been planted which backed up the Royal Family ‘hierarchy’.
Meanwhile, allies of the couple told Netflix cameras there was ‘a war against Meghan to suit other people’s agendas’, with one claiming: ‘It’s about hatred, it’s about race.’
In the clips, the duke also took aim at royal aides, smirking as he commented: ‘It’s a dirty game.’
The former staffer, who signed a confidentiality agreement, has urged the palace to lift non-disclosure agreements so they can respond to ‘attacks’ from the Sussexes.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle beamed from ear to ear as they arrived at a glittering New York City gala on Tuesday night – where they will accept an award for the ‘heroic’ stance against ‘structural racism’ in the monarchy
The former employee urged Buckingham Palace to release staff from non-disclosure arrangements
It was the first time the couple had been seen in public since the release of their incendiary Netflix documentary trailers
During the second teaser for the series, a friend is heard claiming that the couple’s experience has been ‘about hatred, about race’ as a strikingly intimate and previously unseen clip flashes up of an exasperated Harry, 38, holding a hand to his face as Meghan passes behind him while heavily pregnant with their daughter Lili
Prince Harry describes life in the Royal Family as a ‘dirty game’ in the second Netflix trailer
‘The only way to end it once for good is for us to be allowed to speak, and for the palace to firmly reject their lies,’ the former employee told The Times.
‘I certainly have chosen to remain silent out of respect for the crown, but if they keep attacking us and our characters, reputation etc. we need to feel we are equally supported by the Royal Family.’
The first three episodes will be released on Thursday, with the following three released the week after.
It will include allegations that the palace leaked and planted stories about the couple and that the duchess, 41, was a victim of racially-motivated attacks.
Palace staff are said to be ‘seething with rage’ after the series trailers were released, a source told the newspaper.
Royal sources have insisted it was ‘absolutely wrong’ to suggest the couple had been briefed against and insisted ‘unprecedented steps’ had been taken to support them.
One insider told The Daily Telegraph that royal staff were instead ‘bending over backwards to work with them’.
They added it was ‘non-stop on their behalf’ when it came to defending them against negative stories — which began when rumours emerged of the couple’s behavior towards staff.
Another said the narrative comparing Meghan to Kate was ‘fabricated’ with no difference between how they were treated by the Press.
It is unclear whether the series will touch on allegations that the duchess bullied staff.
The claims were investigated in a report, which Buckingham Palace refused to publish, and Meghan has denied the allegations.
The palace said it will not respond to any claims made in the trailers and is concentrating on the Royal Family’s scheduled engagements this week.
It did not respond to the request to lift non-disclosure agreements made with staff or former employees.
The couple – who profess themselves to be eco-warriors – arrived at the event in a convoy of three SUVs, accompanied by five security guards who helped them out of their vehicle
RFK’s daughter Kerry Kennedy revealed last month that she had chosen to honor Harry and Meghan for taking a ‘heroic’ stance against ‘structural racism’
It comes as Harry and Meghan accepted an ‘anti-racism’ award at the Ripple of Hope gala in New York on Tuesday night.
The couple attended the gala — an event for which tickets were being sold for up to $1million each — to accept an award from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, a prize that counts Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton among former recipients.
RFK’s daughter Kerry Kennedy revealed last month she had chosen to honour Harry and Meghan for taking a ‘heroic’ stance against ‘structural racism’ in the Royal Family — comments that likely only served to drive an even bigger wedge between the Sussexes and the monarchy.
While the monarchy has no doubt been rocked by the release of the couple’s second Netflix trailer, senior royals proved on Tuesday evening that the show will go on — even in the face of incoming attacks from the Sussexes — when they put on a glitzy display at their own event.
While Meghan and Harry made an appearance in New York, the Royal Family – including the Prince and Princess of Wales – threatened to ‘out-glitz’ them at a Buckingham Palace reception, which took place just hours earlier
The Princess of Wales wore a red lace dress by Jenny Packham with the Lotus Flower tiara she has worn on occasions before
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla arriving at the palace for the reception this evening
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales at Buckingham Palace for the annual white tie diplomatic corps reception.
Camilla, 75, looked stunning in an Anna Valentine gown with the Queen’s much-loved sapphire and diamond tiara with its matching necklace.
Meanwhile the Princess of Wales wore a red lace dress by Jenny Packham with the Lotus Flower tiara she has on occasions worn before.
She had her GCVO and Royal Family orders pinned to her dress and sported a pair of Queen Elizabeth’s diamond earrings.
It came after the Prince and Princess of Wales looked loved-up in behind-the-scenes Instagram snaps of this year’s Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in Boston.
The royal couple, both 40, appeared to channel Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — who recently shared intimate photos in a Netflix trailer for their documentary later this week — in theatrical black and white shots.
The Prince and Princess of Wales looked loved up as ever in behind-the-scenes Instagram snaps at this year’s Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony in Boston
The image emerged days after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared a number of ultra-personal unseen images in the first trailer for their Netflix documentary
Further clips shown in the documentary show the couple intimately lounging at their British home of Frogmore Cottage
Sharing the carousel to their royal Instagram account, the couple (pictured) wrote: ‘Celebrating brilliant solutions and the inspiring people behind them!’
Another intimate shot showed Kate proudly clapping for her husband as he spoke at the podium
Kate, 40, was effortlessly elegant in a creamy white dress which exposed her shoulders, chestnut tresses cascading down her back