Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Worst Bullying Allegations Surface At The Least Ideal Moment

Is there such a thing as the anti-Midas touch? Because if there is, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been cursed with it big time. Whereas the mythical king could turn everything he touched to gold, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex can't seem to find success in anything they do. Meghan and Harry's multimillion-dollar Netflix deal has been plagued by stalled projects, and the ones that have seen the light of day have received lukewarm to negative receptions. The duchess's lifestyle show "With Love, Meghan," has rubbed people the wrong way for a number of reasons. However, the latest blow against the royal defectors comes from a source that existed nearly two decades before they even met.

In 2006, Harry joined forces with Prince Seeiso of the African nation of Lesotho to found Sentebale, a charity dedicated to supporting the health, education, and other needs of children living in Lesotho and Botswana. Their particular focus is on youth affected by HIV/AIDS. It was a cause particularly close to the prince's heart, since he created it in memory of his beloved mother, Princess Diana, who was a staunch advocate throughout her time with The Firm. 

Then, in a shocking one-two punch, both princes suddenly stepped down from their patronage roles, along with all the other trustees, due to a dispute about fundraising with Sentebale chair Dr. Sophie Chandauka. She in turn had some choice words for the much-maligned royals. In an interview with Sky News' "Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips," Chandauka accused the prince of "harassment and bullying at scale" by publicly discrediting her leadership.

Criticism and finger-pointing have followed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex virtually from the moment they were first spotted together. More than once, palace insiders and former colleagues have leveled bullying accusations against Meghan Markle and Prince Harry over everything from their behavior toward staff to the tailoring of the flower-girl gown that Princess Charlotte wore to their wedding. And Dr. Sophie Chandauka of the Sentebale organization (seen above, next to Harry) is now joining those critics. Elsewhere in her Sky News interview Dr. Chandauka also claimed that the prince threw a charity polo match into disarray by bringing his Netflix camera crew along at short notice to capture the action for Harry's "POLO" documentary. 

"The show went on, but there was a lot of disruption," she explained (via the Daily Mail). "A lot of people were unhappy because we'd worked on this for months." Adding to the chaos, Meghan unexpectedly came to the match and asked Chandauka to move away from her husband on the event stage so she could stand beside him instead. Although Harry encouraged Chandauka to issue a positive statement about Meghan to the press, "I said I wouldn't," she said. "Not because I didn't care about the duchess, but [...] because we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes." 

This was just another part of the "toxic" culture Harry created, alongside the charity rapidly losing funds once he stepped down from royal duties. The celebrity couple has yet to comment on the accusations, but insiders from the organization defended the prince and decried Chandauka's assertions as ridiculous. Still, even if Harry is found to be blameless in this whole debacle, it may not do all that much to help his flailing reputation.