Meghan Markle had furious rows with royal aides over freebie designer clothes sent to Kensington Palace at the time of bullying allegations, sources have claimed.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, who is currently living in her $14 million mansion in Santa Barbara with Prince Harry, 36, and their son Archie, two, is known for her love of designer garments and rarely wears the same outfit twice.
Sources have now claimed that the Duchess clashed with royal aides when told she couldn’t keep boxes of designer garments sent to Kensington Palace after she was unveiled as Harry’s girlfriend in 2016.
Insiders said the royal exchanged heated words with staff when they told her it would be a breach of royal protocol to keep the freebies, with one telling The Sun: ‘As an actress it was perfectly acceptable to take freebies sent by fashion chains and designer labels.
Meghan Markle, 39, is alleged to have had furious rows with royal aides over freebie designer clothes sent to Kensington Palace, sources have claimed (pictured, wearing an Oscar de la Renta gown last week)
‘But Meghan had to be told it was not the done thing when you are a member of the royal family.’
The Duchess is known for her love of designer brands, and her royal wardrobe is believed to have cost almost a million pounds.
It was further boosted by decadent jewellery, which adds financial value to several of her outfits.
The royal has rarely been seen wearing the same outfits twice, selecting new outfits from favourite designers such as Givenchy and Victoria Beckham on almost every appearance.
During her time as a senior royal, the mother-of-one wore a parade of designer outfits from brands such as Dior, Prada and Chanel and an array of expensive accessories
During her time as a senior royal, the mother-of-one wore a parade of designer outfits from brands such as Dior, Prada and Chanel and an array of expensive accessories.
After joining the royal family, the cost of Meghan’s clothes for work engagements were covered by Prince Charles through the budget he gives the couple from the Duchy of Cornwall.
Her first year as a royal was her most expensive, despite only being a member of The Firm for seven months.
From a wedding watched by millions to her first royal tour, the Duchess had quite the year.
For her final round of engagement last March, the royal wowed in breathtaking outfits and dazzling colours – wearing £26,400 ($34,569) worth of new clothing for the brief five day visit
MailOnline were the first to reveal how Meghan had worn clothing worth a staggering £117,934.62 ($149,515.27) during her 16-day Pacific tour with Prince Harry.
Her two wedding outfits cost almost half a million too – meaning throughout the year she splashed out £732,724.62.
Throughout her first pregnancy, the Duchess made sure her bump was well dressed, with her maternity outfits totting up to an eye-watering £514,000 ($675,000).
And for her final round of engagement last March, the royal wowed in breathtakinging outfits and dazzling colours – wearing £26,400 ($34,569) worth of new clothing for the brief five day visit.
Meghan made her second public appearance visiting Reprezent Radio in a camel Smythe coat, a Marks & Spencer jumper and Burberry trousers in January 2018
Now that the couple said they wanted to be financially independent, it is not clear who is picking up the bill for Meghan’s clothes, or whether the Duchess always pays full price for her clothing, or receives discounts from designers.
The accusations arise as an aide claiming to have been bullied by Meghan today welcomed the Queen’s investigation into her and Harry’s alleged mistreatment of staff and declared: ‘We will finally be able to tell the truth’.
The unnamed palace worker’s claim will pile even more pressure on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to give evidence to the probe after they were invited to take part by Buckingham Palace.
The Sussexes are accused of leaving behind a ‘lot of broken people’ with ‘young women broken by their behaviour’ and a source describing one member of their staff as ‘completely destroyed’ by the ordeal.
Lawyers for the Sussexes have vehemently denied they have bullied or mistreated staff.
The Queen has now launched an unprecedented inquiry into allegations that Meghan and Harry bullied their staff – leaving royal employees ‘shaken’ by ‘unhappy memories’ being brought up about a ‘toxic period’ before the couple emigrated.
The Duchess’ interview with Oprah Winfrey is set to air on Sunday, with the royal choosing a £3,000 Armani gown for the discussion
Devastating claims that the Duchess of Sussex inflicted ’emotional cruelty’ on underlings and ‘drove them out’ were ‘very’ concerning, Buckingham Palace said.
The whistleblower told The Times: ‘We will finally be able to tell the truth. It’s not going to be easy, but this is very welcome and long overdue. We don’t have to be silent any more’. Lawyers for the Sussexes have vehemently denied they have bullied or mistreated staff.
It came as Meghan accused the Royal Family of ‘perpetuating falsehoods’ about her and Harry in their interview with Oprah Winfrey in a new teaser clip released just hours after Buckingham Palace launched a probe into her alleged bullying of staff.