Meghan Markle 'dictator' claims came from 'very senior member of staff who works for the Sussexes'

Then, sources close to Archewell - Harry and Meghan's foundation - and the Sussexes hit back.

A friend of the exiled couple slated the claims as "ill-informed", speaking to the Mail, while GB News was handed an absolute denial of the allegations, and confirmed with several current staffers that the "Duchess Difficult" moniker had "never" been used.

Archewell insiders had told The People's Channel that a number of the allegations were "fabricated" - but now, The Hollywood Reporter's co-editor-in-chief has spoken out in a fresh twist in the "Duchess Difficult" saga.

Maer Roshan said he stands by the story after a backlash from Sussex supporters.

He has also cast down claims that Buckingham Palace had "manufactured" the "difficult" rumours - and has backed his reporter on the original story.

Roshan told Access Hollywood: "Our reporter talked to a very high-up source who works for the couple and said: 'Everyone is terrified of Meghan.'

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"Duchess Difficult is a nickname that has trailed Meghan Markle for quite a few years.

"What is new is that this notion, since coming to America, that a lot of these rumours were manufactured by the Palace - and the reporting that we did suggests that probably isn't true and there is still this undercurrent of fear."

He added: "Two things can be possible at once. The couple does help a lot of people. Meghan and Harry declined to comment on our story.

"I think Meghan would have said that barking around orders is something that we expect from men - and it would never raise an eyebrow."

The original piece had investigated whether and why the Sussexes had struggled to retain staff, not least following the apparent resignation of Josh Kettler, a consultant who had been serving as chief of staff to the Montecito-based pair, in August - after a meagre three months on the job.

That came a few months after the Mail on Sunday revealed that the duke and duchess's PR adviser Christine Weir Schirmer had "left quietly" at the end of 2023 after three years in charge of communications at Archewell.

But the news that Schirmer had left last year came just weeks after it was reported that Kettler had resigned.

Though he had been hired on a trial basis by Harry and Meghan, American magazine People reported that the "decision to part ways was mutual, with both sides agreeing it wasn't the right fit".