Meghan Markle has worked hard to improve her reputation since leaving the royal family, but it seems people still keep coming out with stories that detail difficult moments for the duchess when she was a working royal.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have not been working members of the royal family since 2020. The couple wed back in 2018, and they went on a number of royal tours before stepping back from their roles. The two received mixed reviews for how they treated staff members, and Meghan was even once accused of bullying.

Of course, a lot of these situations could not be proven, but one journalist recalled watching Meghan “hiss” at a royal staffer who was later filled with “tears” and “humiliation” over the incident, as the story goes.

Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Journalist claims Meghan Markle left a former royal staffer in ‘tears’ during Fiji trip

Back in 2018, shortly after Meghan and Harry announced that they were expecting their first child, the two embarked on a royal tour to Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji. At the time, Meghan was glowing over her slight baby bump, and the press was excited for Harry and Meghan to take on royal duties as a newly-married couple. But one journalist recalled a situation where Meghan reportedly left a staffer in tears.

According to Express, royal reporter Rebecca English recalled the incident clearly; Meghan allegedly said something upsetting to a staffer, and the staffer was later seen crying in a car. “I was there at the time and witnessed Meghan turn and ‘hiss’ at a member of her entourage, clearly incandescent with rage about something, and demand to leave,” Daily Mail reporter Rebecca English said of the situation.

“I later saw that same — female — highly distressed member of staff sitting in an official car, with tears running down her face. Our eyes met and she lowered hers, humiliation etched on her features.”

It was later reported that Meghan was upset about certain people in attendance at an event she was also attending, which caused the supposed outburst, but the incident has not been proven true.

Meghan Markle has worked to rebuild her reputation

Since marrying into the royal family, Meghan’s reputation has received mixed reviews. There are plenty of examples of the duchess being kind, and she’s always been charitable and willing to spend time helping others. Still, stories like the previous one have followed her everywhere, with complaints that she sent emails as early as 5 a.m. and didn’t always value her staff. Plus, Harry and Meghan constantly had staff members quitting on them, which didn’t help the reputation.

These days, Harry and Meghan are living and working in the United States and have mostly put their royal lives behind them. Meghan has started focusing on building a lifestyle brand, while Harry has put more effort into his Invictus Games Foundation.