Buckingham Palace is bringing in an outside law firm to conduct an intimidation investigation

Buckingham Palace will bring in an independent foreign law firm to conduct an investigation into allegations that the Duchess of Sussex assaulted royal staff, reports say.

In an escalation of the confrontation between the two sides, Meghan Markle wrote to the Palace asking to see documents, e-mails or text messages related to the intimidation complaint against her, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

But in an unprecedented move that will undoubtedly increase tensions, royal staff have decided that a third party should take the reins of the investigation, rather than the first-announced internal investigation, according to The Sunday Times.

A senior assistant of the Palace accused Meghan of “unacceptable behavior” towards two personal assistants and the undermining of the trust of a third, leading to the investigation that will be given to a law firm.

Former and current royal assistants who were prevented from testifying in court during the recent legal battle over Meghan’s legal confidentiality are expected to speak at the investigation.

But in a clear indication that the duchess was preparing to fight what she called “a smear campaign,” a high-ranking Palace source confirmed that her office had “written to request evidence.”

In response, the Queen forwarded the request to the Prince of Wales, whose closest assistants are now searching the files.

Meanwhile, it was discovered on Saturday night that William and Harry “were in contact” for the first time since last Sunday’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Sunday Times reported.

The interview saw the Duke and Duchess of Sussex making shock waves of accusations of racism against “The Firm”.

In February, two senior members of the royal staff claimed to have been assaulted by Meghan, and a third said they had been “humiliated” personally and claimed that two staff members had been assaulted.

Meghan denied the allegations.

However, according to a royal source who spoke to The Times: “The worst real incidents have not occurred. There are some awful stories to tell.

“There are many things that could come out of the laundry that have not been said,” another source told the newspaper.

Sussex are not expected to be invited to take part in the investigation, despite writing to Buckingham Palace about it, a decision that could widen the gap between the Royal Family and the couple.

The news that Meghan is preparing for a battle with the Palace to defend her reputation comes as:

• The 94-year-old Queen will continue with the commitments planned this week to continue the “business as usual” approach taken since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave the bomb interview to Oprah Winfrey;

• Meghan’s girlfriend, Janina Gavankar, joined the fight claiming that one of the PAs was fired for “serious misconduct” and did not leave because of the aggression;

• Omid Scobie, co-author of the biography Sussexes Finding Freedom, said he saw an e-mail from Meghan asking staff to correct a story that made the Duchess of Cambridge cry;

• The Harry and Meghan Archewell Foundation has announced that it will support several charities, including Mind, the mental health charity, Color of Change, an American civil rights organization, and PressPad, which aims to improve media diversity;

• It appeared in a previous post on Meghan’s blog, The Tig, that she knew all about “the splendor and circumstances surrounding the royal wedding and the endless conversation about Princess Kate” – seeming to contradict her claim that she had little knowledge of the royal family before Harry met;

• The palace said that the racial issues that arose in Harry and Meghan’s interview – especially the suggestion that a family member raised questions and concerns about the color of their unborn son’s skin – would be taken seriously and addressed privately.

Accusations of Meghan’s aggressive behavior have sparked anger in Sussex.

The accusation came to light earlier this month, when an e-mail sent by Jason Knauf, the couple’s then-press secretary, was circulated to The Times.

Written in October 2018, when Sussex was still living at Kensington Palace, Mr Knauf wrote: “I am very worried that the Duchess has been able to harass two PAs in the household in the last year. Treatment X [Name redacted] it was totally unacceptable.

“The duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She assaults Y and seeks to undermine his trust. I had report after report from people who witnessed unacceptable behavior toward Y. ‘

The e-mail was sent to Simon Case, then the Duke of Cambridge’s private secretary and now to the cabinet secretary, after Mr Knauf’s talks with Samantha Carruthers, the head of human resources at the Palace.

In his e-mail, Mr Knauf said Ms Carruthers “agreed with me in all respects that the situation was very serious”.

He added: “I am worried that nothing will be done.”

Buckingham Palace said it was “clearly very concerned” about the allegations, adding: “Members of staff involved at the time, including those who left the household, will be invited to attend to see if lessons can be learned.”

But the Duchess’s spokeswoman declined, saying she was “saddened by this latest attack on her character, especially as someone who has been the target of aggression and is deeply committed to supporting those who have suffered pain and trauma.”

The palace hoped that any investigation would be a private matter, but this seems less likely now that the Duchess’s friends have apparently been sanctioned to defend Meghan in public.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to a request for comment.