Prince William tried a "different tact" by allowing Kensington Palace to reveal bullying allegations made against Meghan Markle, in a bid to play the couple "at their own game". The bullying claims were leaked to The Times in the days leading up to Meghan and Harry's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

       Royal expert Charlotte Griffiths said, "Maybe William had felt that the smoothing over hadn't been working for quite a long time at that point and decisive action was needed."

       "Maybe he thought 'I'm going to play them at their own game.'"

       "The smoothing over that the Queen had been doing very diligently from the moment Meghan came on the scene just wasn't paying off at all."

       "So maybe he thought he'd try a different tact."

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       The bullying allegations revealed that several employeed at Kensington Palace had lodged claims against the Duchess of Sussex during her time as a working royal.

       In 2018, Jason Knauf, the joint communications secretary for Kensington Palace, sent Prince William an email outlining his concerns about Meghan's behaviour.

       Claims include the Duchess emailing staff at 5am and reducing one PA to tears.

       When questioned, Meghan reportedly replied, "It's not my job to coddle people".

       According to Robert Lacey's book 'Battle of Brothers', Prince William was horrified by the allegations and went to voice his concerns to Prince Harry.

       This led to a heated confrontation and the subsequent rift between the two brothers.

       Details of this internal feud was made public by The Times in the days leading up to Meghan and Harry's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

       It was also revealed that an inquiry is ongoing at Buckingham Palace to investigate the claims.

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       The Duchess of Sussex has strongly denied every allegation and has stated that this forms part of a 'calculated smear campaign' designed to dicredit her character.

       A spokesperson for the couple said, "The duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma."

       Relations between Prince William and Prince Harry have been strained since the fallout of Megxit and the couple's high profile interviews.

       Harry and Meghan stepped away from the Royal Family in January 2020 and have since relocated to California.