Author claims aide Sam Cohen said dealing with Prince Harry and Meghan was like dealing with teens

Royal author Valentine Low has claimed Prince Harry‘s former aide said dealing with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was like ‘dealing with teenagers.’ 

Speaking to Palace Confidential, the author, who penned Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, claimed that Samantha Cohen, who was a highly-regarded courtier, was treated ‘harshly’ by Harry and Meghan before they left the royal family and relocated to Montecito. 

The writer also revealed some behind-the-scenes of the ramping tensions that plagued Kensington Palace before Harry and Meghan tied the knot in 2018. 

He also claimed Meghan made ‘crushing’ comments to a royal aide who was tasked with organising the media coverage of the wedding when she told her: ‘Listen, if there is anybody else I can get to do this, I would.’ 

Speaking to Palace Confidential, Valentine Low, who penned Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, claimed that Samantha Cohen was treated ‘harshly’ by Harry and Meghan before they left the royal family and relocated to Montecito

The writer also revealed some behind-the-scenes of the ramping tensions that plagued Kensington Palace before Harry and Meghan tied the knot in 2018

Samantha was a highly-regarded in the royal household, having worked for the Queen before moving on to Harry’s team. 

Her working relationship with Prince Harry was of a cordial nature when she started, Low said.  

‘When she started, Harry knew her well, and liked her and she liked Harry. Sam is an incredible problem solver, she’s a can-do personality and she just found it really difficult,’ he said.

‘She was asked to do things that a private secretary wouldn’t normally be asked to do and I think she was treated harshly. 

Samantha Cohen was beloved by the royal household, having worked for the Queen before she joined the Sussexes’ team (pictured in 2021)

‘She was shouted at by Meghan… she was said to have said that dealing with them was like dealing with a couple of teenagers,’ he claimed. 

Low also described the ‘crushing’ phrase that the Duchess used to one of her team and went into detail into what he believes really happened during the Tiaragate saga.

‘Problems started before the wedding about all sorts of things,’ he said, ‘the choir, the food.’

A recurrent issue was the way in which the royal household was sharing details of the event with the press. 

‘The palace would put out details about the cake, the dress, whatever, to keep the media happy,’ he explained, 

Samantha was present during Meghan’s first ever official engagement wit the Queen in the town of Widnes in Haltonin 2018 

He revealed the Duchess wasn’t happy with the arrangement, and alternative plans were drummed up. 

‘There was some poor woman presenting an alternative plan and Meghan was really unhappy with the alternative plan,’ he continued.

Low than claimed the Duchess told the aide: ‘Believe me if there was anybody else I could get to do this, I would.’

Low also revealed on the show that Harry’s frustrations with his team also came from the fact he was eager to make his mark before expiring his ‘shelf life.’

The author claimed that the Duke feared that royals become less relevant as they grow older and move down the line of succession, and was eager to build a lasting legacy before Prince George’s 18th birthday. 

Valentine’s book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, published by Headline, is out now and describes the Sussexes’ deteriorating relationship with their staff – a ‘succession of… decent people’ who had believed in Meghan and ‘would have done anything’ to help the couple succeed.

The respected courtier was among the guests who attended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding on May 19 2018

Low claimed courtiers felt they were ‘played’ by Meghan, who never intended to stay in the royal family (pictured on her and Harry’s wedding day)

But it alleges that aides came to believe that Meghan’s departure was premeditated and that ‘one of [her] concerns was whether she was going to be able to make money for herself’.

One ex staff member told the author: ‘She wanted to be rejected, because she was obsessed with that narrative from day one.’

And sources said that her team reportedly said of her on repeated occasions: ‘We were played.’

The book claims that staff became convinced the Duchess wanted to show how the institution failed her – and even felt there was a cynical motive behind her decision to complain to HR bosses, who listened sympathetically but offered no help.

‘This was inevitable: HR is there to deal with employee issues, not members of the Royal Family,’ the book says. ‘Meghan would presumably have known that, so what was she doing there? Laying a trail of evidence, would be the cynical answer.’

A former staff member told Low: ‘Everyone knew that the institution would be judged by her happiness. The mistake they made was thinking that she wanted to be happy.’

In her interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan emphasised the difference between the Queen and those who surrounded her – the ones she felt refused to help when she was in her hour of greatest need and perpetuated ‘falsehoods’ about her.