Palace staffers referred to the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle as a “narcissistic sociopath” according to an explosive new book — and they referred to themselves as members of the “Sussex Survivors Club.”
The book in question, written by The Times reporter Valentine Low, is titled “Courtiers: the Hidden Power Behind the Crown” and is scheduled for release on October 6. And according to Low, previous reporting indicating that Markle was difficult may have only just scratched the surface.
“Sources say the team came up with a damning epithet for Meghan: a ‘narcissistic sociopath,'” Low writes in the book. “They also reportedly said on repeated occasions: ‘We were played.'”
Low explains that the staffers were warned from the beginning — by Private Secretary Sam Cohen — that they must show what he called “duty of care” for both Markle and Prince Harry, correctly predicting that the entire institution would likely be judged on the basis of their happiness.
But as Low goes on to note, where the staffers went wrong was in assuming that Markle wanted to be happy.
“The mistake they made was thinking that she wanted to be happy,” one ex-staffer reportedly told Low. “She wanted to be rejected, because she was obsessed with that narrative from day one.”
Another staffer told Low that Prince Harry could be just a difficult as his bride — and that the Royal Family was ill-equipped to handle their behavior.
“When someone decides not to be civil, they have no idea what to do. They were run over by her, and then run over by Harry,” they said.
Despite the harsh treatment, staffers were still blindsided when Markle and Prince Harry abruptly announced their plans to leave the palace life behind.
“Shortly before the end of the year, Meghan confided in a member of her staff that the couple were not coming back,” Low writes, adding, “The rest of the team did not find out until they held a meeting at Buckingham Palace at the beginning of January 2020.”
“They found it hard to accept they were being dumped just like that,” Low continues. “Some of them were in tears.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been at the center of numerous palace intrigue stories leading up to and since their exit from palace life. Most recently, in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, reports have suggested that King Charles III may move to strip his second son of the privilege of standing in for the Crown if he should ever be incapacitated.