LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Meghan Markle was rude and berated a royal gardener so brutally that the late Queen Elizabeth II was forced to intervene, a royal insider claimed to The Sun.
Esteemed royal historian Hugo Vickers informed the outlet that it was just one of many complaints lodged against Prince Harry and Markle, which claims they are difficult to work with and often bully staff members.
Meghan Markle berated royal gardener forcing late Queen to intervene
Vickers said that there was “trouble” while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were living at Frogmore Cottage, close to Windsor Castle, between 2019 and March 2020.
He mentioned that in one incident, Markle was so rude to an under-gardener that the head gardener in Windsor felt the need to complain to the late Queen.

The Queen then drove over to Markle to give her a severe reprimand, per the outlet.
Vickers told The Sun, “The head gardener went to complain to the Queen and she told her off because she obviously didn’t like people being rude to staff.”
Interestingly, in September 2024, a source told the Sunday Times that they witnessed “people being chewed up in person and over the phone and made to feel like s**t”.

Meanwhile, a different source claimed that Markle “screamed” at a florist on a phone call for half an hour for failing to mention in a post online that the Duchess of Sussex was working with them on a bouquet.
Furthermore, earlier in 2025, an article in Vanity Fair claimed that Meghan would reportedly be “warm and effusive” towards employees at the start before turning “cold and withholding toward the person she perceived to be responsible” as something “went poorly, often due to Meghan and Harry’s own demands”.

An insider told the outlet, “‘She’s constantly playing checkers – I’m not even going to say chess – but she’s just very aware of where everybody is on her board.”
“And when you are not in, you are to be thrown to the wolves at any given moment,” the source added further mentioning, “It’s talking behind your back. It’s gnawing at your sense of self. Really, like, Mean Girls teenager.”
The article also mentioned allegations from Markle’s former employees who reportedly felt mistreated during their time working with her.
Meghan Markle faced scrutiny after ‘bullying claims’ resurfaced
In April 2024, Meghan Markle was in the spotlight amid revelations from leaked emails that shed light on the alleged treatment of Kensington Palace staff by the former working royal from late 2017 to early 2020, OK Magazine reported.
Samantha Cohen, the former private secretary to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, disclosed that she was interviewed as part of the palace’s investigation into the allegations of mistreatment.

Jason Knauf, former communications secretary for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, raised concerns about “abuse allegations” against the Duchess of Sussex soon after she entered the royal family in May 2018.
The leaked emails revealed Knauf’s highlighting of two staff members allegedly “bullied out of the household,” and indicated that Meghan was specifically targeting female employees.
Moreover, an aide confessed to feeling physically ill after thinking about working with Markle, suggesting a toxic work environment.

Samantha Cohen provided further insight into the dynamics within the royal household. She discussed her departure from the role, revealed challenges, and compared the experience to “working with teenagers.”