'Like Working With Teenagers': Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Former Private Secretary Was 'Treated Harshly' by Duo
Meghan Markle, 42, and Prince Harry, 39, only worked together as senior royals for 22 months, which reportedly led one of their former aides to liken their experience with the duo as immature. The member of staff went on to claim that she was also mistreated in her position, which lasted longer than she had planned.
Samantha Cohen worked as a press advisor to the late Queen Elizabeth II for 17 years before being personally asked by the monarch to become Harry and Meghan's private secretary in June 2018. "I was only supposed to stay for six months but stayed for 18 — we couldn't find a replacement for me and when we did, we took them on tour to Africa with Harry and Meghan to show them the ropes, but they left as well while in Africa," she revealed to an outlet.
Royal author Valentine Low went on to write in his book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, that Cohen felt that she had been "treated harshly" by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and told others the job was "like working with teenagers."
Resigning around the time of the future Montecito residents' trip to Africa during the autumn of 2019 is "telling," according to a royal insider.
At one point during the 10-day visit, Meghan gave her now notorious interview with journalist Tom Bradby. "I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a 'stiff upper lip,'" she revealed to Bradby. "I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging."
Bradby went on to ask the ex-actress if "she were OK," which led Meghan to drop more secrets in what the royal insider called "a poor imitation of Diana's 1995 tell-all interview."
"Look, any woman, especially when they are pregnant, you’re really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging, and then when you have a newborn – you know … And especially as a woman, it’s a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed, it’s, well…And, also, thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK. But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes," she added.
The duo initiated "Megxit" four months later.
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Cohen also spoke about her time with Elizabeth II and stated: "The Queen [Elizabeth] had no ego, she was so comfortable in herself, yet she loved it when things went wrong. If a cake was not cutting, or a plaque didn't unveil, because everything was so perfectly organized, it spiced her life up when things went wrong."
Daily Express reported on Cohen and Low's remarks.