Meghan Markle is facing new claims about how she interviewed prospective household employees during her earlier years in Britain, although no applicant has publicly come forward to describe the alleged experience firsthand.
Two unnamed sources told Page Six that stories had circulated among private household workers about applicants being expected to hand over their résumés, remain quiet and avoid eye contact while Meghan reviewed them.
A source close to Meghan rejected the account. The source said Meghan and Prince Harry have treated employees with “respect and professionalism” and called the suggestion that she interviewed applicants in a rude manner “categorically untrue.”
The report was published days after Harry, Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet returned to Britain for an extended stay. The family arrived on August 26 and is establishing a private British base while remaining non-working members of the royal family.
Page Six’s Sources Did Not Identify a Candidate Who Experienced the Alleged Interview
The most detailed allegation came from an unnamed source who described prospective housekeepers or maids giving Meghan a résumé and then standing nearby while she read it.
The source claimed applicants were discouraged from speaking or making eye contact and that Meghan would review the résumé without conducting a conventional question-and-answer interview.
A second unnamed source told Page Six that negative stories about working for Meghan had circulated for years among people employed in private households. That source predicted the reputation could discourage some applicants if Harry and Meghan hire household employees in Britain.
Neither source was identified as someone who personally went through one of the alleged interviews. Page Six did not publish an account from a named applicant, written interview rules or records from a staffing agency supporting the description.
A Source Close to Meghan Calls the Interview Claim ‘Categorically Untrue’
A source close to Meghan disputed the central allegation rather than arguing only about how the interviews should be characterized.
The source told Page Six that Meghan and Harry “have always treated their staff with respect and professionalism” and said the suggestion that Meghan interviewed anyone rudely was “categorically untrue.”
Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
The report also does not establish that the couple is having difficulty recruiting employees in Britain. That claim comes from unnamed sources predicting how private household workers may respond rather than from a documented hiring effort or identified applicant who declined a job.
Harry and Meghan Returned to Britain as Private, Non-Working Royals
Harry and Meghan arrived in Britain with Archie and Lilibet on August 26 after spending most of the past six years based in California. Wealth of Geeks previously reported that the children are expected to begin school in Britain in September while the family keeps its Montecito home.
PEOPLE reports that Harry and Meghan are establishing a private, non-royal home base and will remain non-working members of the royal family under the arrangement in place since they stepped back from official duties in 2020.
No new British household staff has been publicly announced, and there is no confirmed report showing that the couple has struggled to fill private household positions since returning.