Samantha Cohen, a senior royal official closely associated with the Duchess of Sussex, has at last addressed the tumultuous bullying allegations that initially shook Kensington Palace in 2021 and continue to echo today.
Confirming her participation in the Palace’s inquiries into complaints regarding the duchess’s purported aggressive conduct, Cohen, a devoted and long-serving former palace aide, spoke to an Australian newspaper.
While seemingly a modest progression, Cohen’s acknowledgment marks a noteworthy development in an episode that palace officials have thus far attempted to downplay or overlook.
Samantha Cohen is no ordinary courtier.
A bright and affable Australian, she had served the late Queen for two decades before being tasked with a demanding new role.
In 2017, Ms. Cohen accepted the responsibility of aiding the newly engaged Meghan in adjusting to both the Royal Family and the lifestyle at Kensington Palace.
Samantha Cohen is pictured seated behind the late Queen and the Duchess of Sussex during a visit to Widnes, Cheshire, in June 2018.
Her mission was to convince a driven, career-oriented, and outspoken Californian actress to embrace the immutable hierarchy and strict protocols of the Royal Family.
It was undoubtedly a formidable task. Within approximately six months, I believe Ms. Cohen grew increasingly frustrated, as Meghan either disagreed with or failed to grasp the non-negotiable aspects of royalty.
I also understand that members of Samantha Cohen’s team perceived this as reckless self-indulgence.
Both parties attributed the friction to a clash of cultures.
Could a 36-year-old with a prominent public image adopt the British penchant for understatement? Could she abandon Hollywood’s penchant for exaggeration in favor of the Palace’s restrained and repetitive “no comment” stance?
It appears not.
One year following Harry and Meghan’s splendid May wedding in Windsor, Ms. Cohen was inclined to tender her resignation.
In November 2016, Samantha Cohen was bestowed the honor of becoming a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen during a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace.
According to Valentine Low’s book, “Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown,” Ms. Cohen privately expressed feeling unfairly treated and likened her role to “working with teenagers.”
While not explicitly stating this sentiment in her conversation with the Herald Sun, Ms. Cohen did mention that she extended her tenure threefold, as finding a replacement proved challenging for officials.
Interestingly, when a new private secretary was eventually appointed, they resigned during Harry and Meghan’s Africa tour in 2019.
The Sun Herald quotes Ms. Cohen as saying: “I was initially intended to stay for six months but ended up staying for 18 – we struggled to find a successor, and when we finally did, they joined us on the Africa tour with Harry and Meghan but left during the trip.”
Additionally, Ms. Cohen seemingly confirmed that she was among several courtiers interviewed following a bullying complaint lodged by Harry and Meghan’s communications secretary, Jason Knauf, in 2018 – an issue initially disclosed by The Times in 2020.
Jason Knauf, pictured on the right, filed a bullying complaint during his tenure as Harry and Meghan’s communications secretary in 2018. He is seen alongside Harry, William, and Kate in the image.
It became evident that three women had formally informed Mr. Knauf of allegations regarding Meghan’s behavior.
As the complaints accumulated, Mr. Knauf began compiling a dossier.
According to leaked email exchanges, Mr. Knauf reported to the Palace’s human resources department that Meghan had allegedly bullied two personal assistants out of the household within a year and was targeting other female staff.
Mr. Knauf noted that one departing staff member described her interactions with Meghan as causing feelings of sickness.
Other comments cited included, “I can’t stop shaking,” and “I feel terrified.”
The correspondence suggested that Mr. Knauf was concerned about Ms. Cohen’s well-being, indicating that she was under extreme stress.
The Sussexes vehemently denied the allegations.
In response to the bullying claims, Meghan’s representatives stated that she rejected the accusations as the “latest attack on her character.”
They emphasized the unfairness of the situation, highlighting Meghan’s own experiences as a target of bullying and her deep commitment to supporting those who have endured pain and trauma.
In his bestselling memoir, “Spare,” published in January of last year, Harry vehemently opposed the claims, stating, “It was so outrageous that even though Meg and I demonstrated their falsehood with a 25-page report to human resources full of evidence, it was going to be very hard for me to ignore it.”
During a polo presentation in Florida on April 12 of this year, an uncomfortable moment unfolded when Meghan directed another woman not to stand next to Harry. Observers characterized the exchange as ‘cringeworthy’.
The Palace opted to keep the final report confidential to safeguard the participants, yet it was evident that a sense of apprehension was growing – and that the dispute was taking on a personal dimension.
As detailed in my book, “Revenge,” William expressed to Harry his view that Meghan’s conduct was unacceptable. He conveyed concerns shared by Ms. Cohen and others, who suspected Meghan never truly intended to relinquish her career and fully integrate into the family.
William pondered whether Meghan harbored a desire to return to America.
As tensions escalated during their conversation, William brought up staff complaints of bullying by Meghan.
Harry was deeply offended – but regardless of their validity, the accusations were a matter of record.
Likewise, there was undeniable turnover among the staff.
Katrina McKeever, a member of Kate’s communications team, had recently resigned. Kate attributed her departure to Meghan’s critique of her performance leading up to the wedding
Following the resignation of Katrina McKeever, as depicted in the image, from the communications team of the Duchess of Cambridge at that time, Kate suspected that criticism from Meghan had been the catalyst for her departure.
Meghan refuted any claims of criticism, reportedly stating, ‘It’s not my responsibility to cater to people,’ as per The Times.
Similar grievances expressed by Ms. McKeever were conveyed to Jason Knauf by others.
Another personal assistant, Melissa Toubati, also tendered her resignation. Newspaper reports suggested that Ms. Toubati felt ‘traumatized’ by Meghan’s alleged unreasonable expectations to fulfill her meticulously precise requirements.
Her departure was attributed to Meghan’s outburst, triggered by dissatisfaction with the shade of red on embroidered blankets intended for guests at a shooting weekend.
The Sussexes reportedly expressed no disappointment over Ms. Toubati’s departure but held differing views on the reasons behind it.
In 2021, during a widely watched interview with Oprah, Meghan asserted to a global audience that not only did palace officials fail to shield her adequately, but they also actively plotted against her and Harry.
Such allegations would undoubtedly have been disheartening for Ms. Cohen and other former staff members who believed they had diligently supported the couple.
It is regrettable that the bullying accusations have yielded no definitive resolution thus far.
As of now, the findings of the palace lawyer’s investigation remain undisclosed, leaving both the accusers and the accused in a difficult position.
While Jason Knauf’s leaked email exchanges offer some insight, until recently, Ms. Cohen and her colleagues from the palace had maintained their silence.
Now, finally, that barrier has been breached – and it is likely that more revelations will follow soon.
What began as a trickle of information will inevitably evolve into a steady stream.
This is not to predetermine the outcome or speculate on the verdict. However, it reflects poorly on the Palace that whatever truth is uncovered, it had to come to light in such a painful and unsatisfactory manner.
Tom Bower, author of “Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors”
