Former adviser to Prince William is accused of leaking government information to support Harry

Prince William's former private secretary has been under pressure to leave the British government amid allegations of leaks related to an affair similar to the criticism of Prince Harry.

Simon Case is a little-known name in America, but his time at Kensington Palace has made him popular with the small band of die-hard fans of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

He was Prince William's most senior adviser at the time of the rift between the two and was the recipient of an email accusing Meghan of bullying.

However, he has recently faced calls to resign as head of the British civil service amid allegations that he leaked information to the media, according to rumours released by the Cabinet Office Newsweek are “categorically untrue”.

The saga is particularly well known in Montecito, California, because Prince Harry particularly defended Meghan in his memoirs. Spare part.

Simon Case and the bullying allegations against Meghan Markle

Meghan was accused in an internal email of bullying two personal assistants from the royal household and making life difficult for a third employee.

The message was sent by Jason Knauf, then communications secretary at Kensington Palace, to Simon Case, who was Prince William's private secretary at the time.

For this reason alone, Case has held a special place in the hearts of Meghan and Harry's supporters, who are convinced that the palace had its sights set on the Sussexes.

However, Harry presents a more subtle form of argument in his book: Spare part: “More than once an employee slumped over his desk and cried.

“For all of this, every bit of it, Willy blamed one person. Meg. He told me so several times and he got mad when I told him he'd gone too far.

“He was just repeating the narratives of the press and spreading false stories he had read or heard. The great irony, I told him, was that the real villains were the people he had put in office, people in government who seemed not impervious to this kind of conflict – but addicted to it.

“They had a knack for intrigue, a talent for scheming, and they constantly pitted our two groups of employees against each other.”

This passage of the book is chronologically set in the summer of 2018, around the time when Case reportedly left his government job to work for William at Kensington Palace in July of that year.

Harry's book alone reveals that there were problems even before his arrival, including disputes between the couples at Harry and Meghan's wedding in May this year.

However, the prince also provided a somewhat unflattering portrait of a palace adviser whom he called “the fly” and who is generally believed to be Case.

“The fly,” he wrote, “has spent much of its career in the presence of shit and has even been attracted to it.”

“He loved the detritus of government and media, the wormy innards, grew fat on it, rubbed his hands in it with glee, even when he pretended otherwise. He tried to create an air of nonchalance, as if he were above the fray, cool and efficient and always ready to help.”

Harry's response to the bullying allegations against Meghan is therefore essentially that William imported a toxic work culture from the world of British politics.

Allegations in Simon case against government leaked

In Britain, pressure is growing on Case to resign early as Cabinet Secretary, amid allegations that he is behind indiscretions from within the government.

The newspapers particularly described a conflict between him and the chief of staff of the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Sue Gray.

A headline in The Daily Telegraph read: “Due to tensions with Sue Gray, resignation of Civil Service chief Simon Case, long thought likely to resign next year, is reportedly set to step down next month.”

The Guardian reported anger during Labour government meetings over leaks, while a Evening Standard The headline read: “Number 10 backs senior official Simon Case after reports of anger over leaks.”

Meanwhile, David Yelland, former editor of The sun newspaper, wrote on X: “It is becoming clear that Simon Case is the problem. All this chaos will end when we have a new Cabinet Secretary and remember that Sue Gray's report exposed his failings. Why is he still there? Why is he not getting to the bottom of the leaks? Weak! Useless!”

A Cabinet Office spokesman said NNewsweek The leak claim was “categorically untrue,” adding: “We take unauthorized disclosure of information very seriously and take appropriate action where necessary.”

A spokeswoman for 10 Downing Street also told British political correspondents on September 17 that Starmer was satisfied that Case was not the source of the leaks, adding: “The Cabinet Secretary remains focused on looking after the Prime Minister and the work of the Government and working closely with the Prime Minister and Cabinet.”

Whether the allegations are justified or not may be of secondary importance to Harry and Meghan given the simple fact that he is once again accused of presiding over a toxic culture.

Some have urged Starmer to hire a replacement from outside the civil service to break the pattern. The Guardian reported.

It is also not the first time that Case has come under pressure to resign after questions arose about WhatsApp messages he sent within the government during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Conservative Party was in power.

Regardless of whether the bullying allegations against Meghan were justified or not, the couple will no doubt take comfort in knowing that they are not the only ones raising similar concerns about Case.

And fans were quick to notice the comparison. One of them recently wrote on X: “Those of us who saw Simon Case terrorize Harry and Meghan on Prince William's orders are not surprised he would leak information.”

Jack Royston is chief correspondent for the royal family Newsweeklives in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek'S The Royals Facebook page.

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