Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dismiss 'distressing' Vanity Fair claims as Sharon Stone reveals real truth

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have dismissed the 'distressing' allegations made against them in Vanity Fair about their difficult behaviour towards staff members.

The magazine's article, which was published under the headline 'American Hustle' on January 17, gave an in-depth account of the Sussexes' lives over the past five years since relocating to the US.

Included in the story, were claims that the 43-year-old duchess can be "really, really awful" when things do not go the way she wanted them to.

Speaking to multiple sources who have worked for the former royal couple since their Royal Family exit in 2020, insiders claim that Meghan could be "warm and effusive" towards her employees before quickly turning "cold and withholding toward the person she perceived to be responsible" when something went wrong.

Another insider alleges that things often went "poorly" in their business projects due to Harry and Meghan's own demands.

However, their marriage to one another is still very solid with a different source claiming their 'love is real' and they are still very much attracted to each other.

According to The Times, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have denied the allegations with those close to them describing them as 'distressing'.

After Meghan's new Netflix show was postponed and Harry's upcoming solo visit to the UK for his ongoing court battle, an insider told The Daily Beast: "Things aren’t easy for them right now. Vanity Fair have succeeded in making a bad time worse".

Comments from actress Sharon Stone where she is defending the couple have now resurfaced in Hello Magazine which is known to be one of the Susssexes' favoured publications.

Praising Harry and Meghan as the type of neighbours to wave at you on the street, she said in 2020: "The thing about them, which is so great, is that they didn't come here to live off of our community, they came here to be a part of our community.

"They're a part of our community, they become a part, a giving, caring, participating part of our community. They're not here, like "Would you like to kiss my butt?".'

Vanity Fair depicted Prince Harry, 40, as a well-intentioned yet clueless individual, who proposed 'outlandish' concepts like a 'sociopath podcast', where he would interview figures such as Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The duke was quoted by the magazine saying: "I have very bad childhood trauma. Obviously. My mother was essentially murdered. What is it about me that didn’t make me one of the bad guys?"

Meanwhile, Meghan is portrayed as a merciless and demanding boss. One insider said she could not believe the bullying claims at first but changed her mind after working for the duchess.

She said: "Oh, any given Tuesday this happened. You can be yelled at even if somebody doesn’t raise their voice. [It’s] funny that people don’t differentiate between the energy of being yelled at and literally somebody screaming at you."

Other staff members have also compared the duchess to a 'Mean Girls teenager' and described the experience of working on Meghan's cancelled Archetypes podcast as "really, really awful" and "very painful".

A source has claimed: "Because she’s constantly playing checkers, I’m not even going to say chess, 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."

It's also been reported that a colleague with ties to the podcast took a leave of absence after working on just three episodes and then quit.

Others have described "taking extended breaks from work to escape scrutiny, exiting their job, or undergoing long-term therapy after working with Meghan" who was allegedly dubbed ‘Duchess Difficult’ by some staff.

One individual stated: "I think if Meghan acknowledged her own shortcomings or personal contributions to situations, rather than staying trapped in a victim narrative, her perception might be better."

The duchess faced accusations of bullying staff during her time at Buckingham Palace but the results of an internal inquiry have never been released and she has always strongly denied the claims.

A resident of Montecito, the California town where the Sussexes live, described the couple as ‘the most entitled, disingenuous people on the planet’. They added that while Harry and Meghan claimed to have left Britain to avoid media scrutiny, they appear to constantly attract media attention.

Meanwhile a former employee for streaming giant Spotify has described the duke as "challenging to engage with". They added that while the couple were doing interviews for a position, Prince Harry exuded an attitude of 'why should I do this?' before their Spotify deal came to an abrupt end in 2023.

The Sussexes chose not to participate in the Vanity Fair article and have declined to comment on it.

In other parts of the profile, allegations from Meghan's former employees who reportedly felt mistreated while working with her are detailed.

These claims, reminiscent of accusations from her time at Kensington Palace, depict a concerning image of a woman whose alleged behaviour resulted in staff 'having therapy' and led to 'bullying' allegations behind the scenes.

Representatives for Meghan and Harry vehemently denied these allegations at the time. Producer Jane Marie, who worked with the couple on Archewell audio projects, also told Vanity Fair that Meghan is "just a lovely, genuine person".

Despite the explosive allegations in the profile, staff loyal to Meghan and Harry have previously defended the couple to US Weekly magazine, describing the Sussexes as "caring' bosses who give employees their children's old baby clothes, fresh flowers and 'care packages".

Josh Kettler, Harry's chief of staff who left after just three months in August last year, insisted he was 'warmly welcomed' by the pair and describes them as 'dedicated and hardworking'.

Ben Browning, the former head of content at Archewell who was behind their revealing Netflix documentary but left before his contract ended, has described his time with Meghan and Harry as "positive and supportive".

Their PR chief, Ashley Hansen, who is departing to start her own firm, praised the couple for treating her with "the kind of concern and care a parent would express if it were their own child" when she took time off for surgery.

She also mentioned that they sent flowers and gifts. These glowing remarks follow a negative article in the Hollywood Reporter where Meghan was labelled as a 'dictator in high heels'.

Royal author and investigative journalist Tom Bower called these recent revelations 'devastating' for Meghan, particularly given her recent efforts to rebrand herself as a warm, loving mother and wife. He said: "Having strongly denied the accusations that she bullied her staff in Kensington Palace, the revival of her image of the Difficult Duchess is a disaster just on the eve of the launch of Netflix's 'With Love, Meghan'."

He added: 'Having invested so much to re-brand herself as a loving, caring Californian mother and wife, the VF disclosures have poisoned the smiling image of the welcoming home-maker."

Prince Harry is also facing scrutiny after the Vanity Fair article with experts noting that the publication portrayed him as "lost, out of depth and naive."

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said the couple's attempts to create a caring, philanthropic image through efforts like helping victims of California's wildfires are unlikely to work in their favour in light of the ongoing allegations.

He said: "The Sussexes are attempting to project a caring image by helping some of those affected by the cataclysmic wildfires currently ravaging California'. They won't get far after publicity is given to this."

He continued: "Her With Love, Meghan cookery series is, judging from the trailer, saccharine and silly. This was postponed and is now scheduled for a release on 4th March but unenthusiastic online reaction might make the streaming giant think twice and dump it and, when their contract runs out later in the year, preserve very little of it, if any.

"The Sussexes have made so many accusations against the royal family. They, especially Meghan, now have a lot to answer. Nobody likes bullies, especially entitled bullies!'"

Meghan and Harry recently showed kindness by rallying round victims of the LA fires, having just been on the cusp of evacuation themselves.

They supported victims by making donations through their Archewell Foundation and serving meals to survivors over the weekend alongside Governor Gavin Newsom's wife.

However, their appearance didn't impress everyone, with Family Ties star Bateman posting online: "Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers. What a repulsive 'photo op' they achieved. They are 'touring the damage'? Are they politicians now? They don't live here; they are tourists. Disaster Tourists."

This came just days after they had already opened their home to those affected by the fires.

The Duchess of Sussex also decided to delay the release of her Netflix cookery show, With Love, Meghan, due to the destruction caused by the fires - a decision that was applauded by her fans.

However, this led to some sarcastic comments from those connected to the Royal Family, as revealed by Richard Eden.

One source close to the royals pointed out this week that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex allowed their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey to be aired in 2021, despite Prince Philip being seriously ill in hospital at the time.

Prince Harry's grandfather passed away four weeks later. The royal insider commented: "Meghan seemingly didn't think twice about going ahead with the Oprah interview, did she?"

Some courtiers are even wondering whether the postponement of her cookery programme is a commercial one as another source asked Eden: "Would people really want to watch a glossy TV show about someone's luxury lifestyle when thousands of Americans have seen their homes and lives destroyed?"

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