Meghan and Ellen DeGeneres Were 'United by Accusations of Bullying'—Book

Meghan Markle and Ellen DeGeneres' friendship saw the Montecito neighbors "united by accusations of bullying" according to a newly published biography.

Meghan appeared on DeGeneres' talk show in November 2021 for a special guest appearance which saw the royal take part in a number of comedic challenges, such as drinking from a baby's bottle on the streets of L.A., as well as showing an unreleased photograph of her son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, during an interview segment.

Both DeGeneres and Meghan have faced allegations by members of staff of bullying or, in DeGeneres' case, contributing to a "toxic" environment behind the scenes on her popular talk show.

DeGeneres later commented to the press that she was "disappointed to learn" of the accusations, [and] "for that, I am sorry." Meghan has always denied she bullied her staff though her lawyer also said in November 2021 that she does not want to negate anyone's experience.

Allegations against Meghan came to light in 2021 when an email written by a former aide expressing concern about the duchess' treatment of staff members was leaked to the press ahead of the broadcast of her interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Tom Bower, in his book Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors, has claimed that Meghan agreed to take part in the Ellen show in an attempt to "stay relevant for the American public," a motivation he writes which was shared by DeGeneres.

Following a triumphant visit to New York after winning of a privacy lawsuit in Britain against the Mail on Sunday, Bower writes that in November 2021:

"Meghan's triumph was sealed by her appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres TV chat show.

"Both women, neighbours in Montecito, were united by accusations of bullying. Both were also desperate to stay relevant for the American public."

"In the celebrity economy," he continued, "remarkable additional effort was required by middle-aged women to secure the publicity which kept their status at the top of the index."

Despite stating that Meghan was aware her appearance on the show could be judged for the "fickle superficiality of maintaining one's celebrity," Bower states that this was something she had learned to embrace throughout her years as an actress, adding:

"The trick was to avoid obsolescence by constantly refreshing her appeal."

The humorous segments, which Meghan was asked to take part in on the show, Bower describes, had the effect of an "extraordinary subversion of her royal image."

"First, she appeared in the studio for an interview with DeGeneres covering all the very familiar milestones in her life," he states before adding that the show host then instructed the wife of Queen Elizabeth II's grandson to "eat like a chipmunk" via an earpiece on the streets of L.A. and act like a kitten.

"For one minute," Bower writes, "she recited, 'I'm a kitten, meow, meow, meow.'"

The duchess received criticism for her appearance on the show mainly from the British press who labeled it "undignified."

Her intimate and heartfelt disclosures about her two children though was praised by royal watchers and social media users who know little about the Sussexes home life owing to their fiercely guarded privacy.

"Archie was a dinosaur for about five minutes," the royal shared about her children's Halloween costumes which Ellen, a close neighbor, saw them in weeks earlier adding that her daughter Lilibet was dressed as a skunk, "like flower from Bambi."

Bower's book has caused considerable comment in the U.K. after extracts were published by London's The Times which made a number of claims including that Meghan was envious of sister-in-law, Kate Middleton and hated being compared to her.

Perhaps the most explosive claim to have come out of the book so far is that, according to Bower, the queen told close aides at the time of Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021—just weeks after the Sussexes interview with Winfrey had been broadcast—"thank goodness Meghan isn't coming."

This claim has since been questioned by a source close to the queen who previously told Newsweek that it was "unlikely" the monarch was thinking of anyone but her husband of 73-years at the time.

Newsweek approached representatives for Meghan Markle and DeGeneres for comment.