Buckingham Palace is facing questions about why it won’t reveal more about the findings of an investigation into bullying allegations made against the Duchess of Sussex.
The palace has confirmed a private investigation into complaints that Meghan had bullied members of staff had concluded, claims she has always denied.
It confirmed the review had looked at how palace staff had handled the complaints rather than scrutinising details of the allegations themselves.
But after revealing that HR policies had been improved as a result it refused to make details of the changes or the findings public.
A senior palace source said: “Because of the confidentiality of the discussions we have not communicated the detailed recommendations. The recommendations have been incorporated within policies and procedures wherever appropriate and policies and procedures have changed.
“So all members of staff, all members of the royal family will be aware of what the policies and procedures are, the revised policies and procedures.”
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Buckingham Palace launched the investigation in March 2021, after it was alleged Meghan drove out two personal assistants and staff were “humiliated” on several occasions.
The duchess’s lawyers denied the allegations when they were made. Current and former staff were expected to be invited to speak about their experiences of working for Meghan.
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Sky News understands that only very limited numbers of people were interviewed as part of the process. Archewell, the Sussexes’ organisation and charitable foundation, would not confirm if the duchess had been asked to be involved or told of the recommendations.
The investigation was carried out by a law firm and funded privately, thought to be by a senior member of the royal family. The palace had suggested that any changes in policies or procedures recommended would be shared in the Sovereign Grant report.
While there is an extensive HR section and “Staff Report” in the annual accounts it isn’t clear if any of the listed procedures have changed as a result of the investigation.
It does outline the royal household’s Concern at Work policy which encourages individuals to raise any concerns they may have about the conduct of others and sets out how issues can be aired, with the policy accessible to staff on the intranet site – known as the Coronet.