Buckingham Palace has said it will investigate allegations that Meghan Markle bullied former staff members, it announced Wednesday. The move was an unprecedented response to a report in The Times which claimed that Meghan drove out two personal assistants during her time as a working royal, and that female Kensington Palace staff were “humiliated” on several occasions. The Palace’s formal investigation of the complaint represents a significant raising of the stakes in the family’s feud after Meghan dismissed the allegations against her as a smear campaign orchestrated by the palace ahead of an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article. 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.” Lawyers for Harry and Meghan told the newspaper it was “being used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative” about Meghan’s behavior. Knauf now runs William and Kate’s charitable foundation.