The royal family is speaking out to address reports that Meghan Markle bullied her aides during her time as a working royal.

The Times reported that Meghan allegedly bullied two of her aides to the point of making them cry, claiming that she “drove two personal assistants out of the household and was undermining the confidence of a third staff member.”

The complaint that The Times was referring to was made in October of 2018 by Jason Knauf, who was the communications team of Meghan and Prince Harry at the time.

“[It was] seemingly in an effort to get Buckingham Palace to protect staff who he claimed were coming under pressure from the duchess. Prince Harry pleaded with Knauf not to pursue it,” a source was quoted as saying. “Senior people in the household, Buckingham Palace and Clarence House, knew that they had a situation where members of staff, particularly young women, were being bullied to the point of tears.”

The royal family responded in a statement released by Buckingham Palace on Wednesday evening.

“We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” the statement read, according to Entertainment Tonight. “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,” the palace added. “The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace.”

This came after Meghan responded in a statement of her own by accusing the royal family of being behind this in an attempt to attack her character before the premiere of her and Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey this coming weekend. A spokesperson for the couple claimed that this was a “calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation.”

“It’s no coincidence that distorted several-year-old accusations aimed at undermining the duchess are being briefed to the British media shortly before she and the duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience of recent years,” the spokesperson said.

The duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma,” Meghan and Harry’s spokesperson added. “She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good.”

The royal family has denied any involvement in this story coming out, saying that they are focused on Queen Elizabeth’s 99 year-old husband Prince Philip, who has been hospitalized for the past few weeks.