Buckingham Palace has launched an inquiry into bullying claims made against Meghan Markle, which a source says she will take on in a "brutal showdown."
In March, the Duchess of Sussex demanded a breakdown of all the allegations that have been made against her by her former staff at Kensington Palace.
The Daily Mail reports an email written in 2018 by the Sussexes' then-press secretary, Jason Knauf, was leaked to The Times newspaper.
The email brought to light bullying allegations reading "I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X [Name redacted to protect privacy] was totally unacceptable."
Simon Case, then the Duke of Cambridge's private secretary first received the email.
Following the email being brought to light, the Palace launched an inquiry into the claims.
The Daily Mail understands the Palace spokesperson has said they are very concerned and taking this seriously by including "Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned."
A source close to the inquiry reportedly told The Mirror "The Palace is taking each and every allegation very seriously and wants to get to the truth of the matter."
"But Meghan is adamant the staff were not up to their job and could not deal with the pressure of working for her.
"The Duchess is preparing to fight back against what she has termed 'a smear campaign'"
Meghan wants a point-by-point breakdown of all the claims, as a senior Palace source in March confirmed her office had 'written to request' all documents, emails or text messages.
The Daily Mail understands the source now fears there will be a "brutal showdown."
A spokesperson for the Dutchess said she "is saddened by this latest attack on her character."
The inquiry into the claims is being conducted by an independent legal firm hired by the Palace and is ongoing.
