Meghan Markle has been dubbed ‘Duchess Difficult’ by her staff amid claims that she ‘terrifies’ and ‘belittles’ people, a damning report has revealed.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, a source close to the couple has claimed that Meghan ‘belittles people, she doesn’t take advice’.

They also described the couple as ‘both poor decision-makers’ who ‘change their minds frequently’ – with Harry dubbed ‘a very, very charming person’ and yet ‘very much an enabler’.

The publication reported allegations that Megan was ‘absolutely relentless’ and that ‘she marches around like a dictator in high heels, fuming and barking orders’, adding: ‘I’ve watched her reduce grown men to tears’.

The new claims come as the couple prepare to celebrate the Duke of Sussex turning 40 on Sunday, as separate sources suggested he was feeling increasingly lonely in the US and considers his security guard David Langdown his best friend.

The new allegations form part of a study into an exodus of staff who had worked for the Sussexes, including the couple’s chief of staff Josh Kettler who resigned from his role in August after a three-month stint.

Meghan’s ‘noisy tantrums’ and ‘angry 5 am emails’ have also earned her the nickname ‘Duckess Difficult’ by her members of staff, the Hollywood Reporter said.

Megan had previously been accused of bullying palace staff before the pair’s move to California, prompting royal aides to launch an inquiry into claims of Meghan’s ‘belittling’ behaviour towards two personal assistants.

Staff were said to have been left in tears and feeling ‘traumatised’ – with some likening their condition to having post-traumatic stress.

While details of the report were never revealed, the allegations have always been strongly denied by the duchess, whose lawyers described them at the time as a ‘calculated smear campaign’.

The new reports come after it was revealed last week by The Mail on Sunday that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s PR adviser Christine Weir Schirmer had left quietly at the end of last year after joining the couple as head of communications for their charitable foundation Archewell in 2020.

News of Schirmer’s departure came just weeks after it was reported that Kettler had resigned after his short spell working for the couple.

While Kettler had been hired on a trial basis when he took up the role with Harry and Megan, US magazine People reported that the ‘decision to part ways was mutual, with both sides agreeing it wasn’t the right fit’.

But the departures of Schirmer and Kettler have only highlighted the problems Meghan and Harry have long had when it comes to keeping their staff.