“Terrified” US staff call Meghan “the difficult duchess” as a source claims she throws “tantrums” and “makes grown men cry” while “enabler” Harry is increasingly isolated with his closest friend, his paid bodyguard.

Meghan Markle has been dubbed “the difficult duchess” by her staff amid claims she “terrorises” and “belittles” people, a damning report has revealed.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, A source close to the couple said Meghan “looks down on people and doesn’t take advice.”

They also described the couple as “both bad decision-makers” who “change their minds frequently” and described Harry as “a very, very lovely person” and yet “a great facilitator”.

The publication reported allegations that Megan was “absolutely ruthless” and “marches around like a dictator in high heels, raging and barking orders,” adding: “I’ve seen her make grown men cry.”

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

The new allegations are part of a scrutiny into the 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 “loud tantrums” and “angry 5 a.m. emails” also earned her the nickname “Duchess Difficult” from members of her staff, the Hollywood Reporter said.

Megan had previously been accused of bullying palace staff before the couple moved to California, prompting royal aides to launch an investigation into allegations of “disparaging” behaviour by Meghan towards two personal assistants.

Staff were said to be left crying and feeling “traumatised” – with some comparing their condition to post-traumatic stress.

Although details of the report were never revealed, the allegations were always strongly denied by the duchess, whose lawyers described them at the time as a “calculated smear campaign”.

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

News of Schirmer’s departure came just weeks after it was reported that Kettler had resigned following her brief stint working for the couple.

Although Kettler had been hired on a trial basis when he took over with Harry and Megan, US magazine People reported that “the decision to part ways was mutual and both parties agreed it was not 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.

The couple have earned a reputation for losing employees and are believed to have lost at least 18 members of their workforce since they married in 2018.

Nine or more have left their posts since the couple fled Britain for California in 2020, including their global press secretary, Toya Holness, and Meghan’s senior aide and private secretary, Samantha Cohen.

A spokesperson for the Sussexes declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.

Meanwhile, Harry issued a statement on Friday night telling of his excitement at turning 40, saying: “Bring on the new decade.”

The duke will celebrate the milestone on Sunday privately with Meghan and their children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.

He is then believed to be planning a weekend getaway with his closest friends, Sky News reported.

Her message paid tribute to her two “incredibly kind and funny” sons, adding that they had “sharpened my focus on all my work.”

Harry told the BBC: “Whatever my age, my mission is to keep turning up and doing good in the world. Here’s to the next decade!”

Both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have yet to indicate whether they will do anything to mark Harry’s big birthday.

Tensions within the royal family since Harry and Meghan left for a new life in the United States in 2020 have only worsened in the years since, especially following the publication of Harry’s memoir, Spare, in January last year.

She claimed her brother William, the Prince of Wales, 42, had branded Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive” – ​​and even accused the elder sister of pushing him into a dog bowl.

The latest showdown came on Monday, when a Netflix trailer for a documentary called Polo, produced by the Sussexes’ production company, was released just hours after the Princess of Wales shared a video marking the end of her chemotherapy treatment.