'Horrified' William 'went ballistic' over Prince Harry and Meghan claims, says author

Prince William reportedly "went ballistic" when he first heard claims that Meghan Markle had allegedly been mistreating Palace staff, a royal author has claimed. In 2021, a year after Meghan and Prince Harry quit royal life, an internal email was leaked that saw Jason Knauf, a palace aide,raise concerns about Meghan's alleged poor treatment of staff in the Royal Household - something she has always denied.

The email sent by Knauf reportedly read: "'I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X was totally unacceptable." Despite Meghan strongly denying such claims, even to this day, it is believed to be these allegations which left Prince William angry.

As reported by The Daily Mail, royal author Robert Lacey recalled how Prince William, Meghan's brother-in-law, was "horrified" when Knauf - who was also William's friend as well as an employee - gave him details of Meghan and Harry's alleged behaviour.

Lacey said William "went ballistic" and was "astonished", especially as William knew the alleged staff members involved.

The author said that after being given a dossier by Knauf about the alleged mistreatment, William called his brother Prince Harry who "flared up in furious defence of his wife".

As reported by The Daily Mail, Lacey wrote: "Harry shut off his phone angrily, so William went straight round to find his brother on the Kensington campus."

It is believed the situation led to tension between the brothers before Harry even quit royal life, with their relationship having gone so far downhill since then that they are currently not believed to be on talking terms for various reasons.

Meghan Markle has always denied the bullying accusations.

Buckingham Palace launched an investigation into the claims in 2021, however the findings were kept private.