Revolt: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Chief of Staff Quits After Only 3 Months Ahead of Couple’s ‘Quasi Royal’ Trip to Colombia
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are without a chief of staff days before their Colombia trip.
Aug. 13 2024, Published 2:51 p.m. ET
He’s out!
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s chief of staff abruptly quit after only three months on the job – and mere days before the couple embarks on their “quasi-royal tour” of Colombia, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Prince Harry and Meghan hired Josh Kettler as chief of staff in May.
A California-based source confirmed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's chief of staff Josh Kettler’s “sudden” exit.
The insider said: “Josh Kettler is no longer working for them”.
It remains unclear why Kettler decided to cut ties with the royal renegades. He was expected to accompany Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, on their four-day trip to Colombia.
Kettler previously accompanied Harry to London for the Invictus Games.
The now-former chief of staff is believed to be an American citizen who previously worked for medical equipment manufacture Cognixion.
When he was tapped as chief of staff in May, it was said that he would be the best fit to “guide” the duke “through his next phase”.
He traveled with Harry on his recent trip to London to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games – and later joined the couple on their three-day “tour” of Nigeria. On the trip, Kettler was said to be getting a taste of his future duties.
Kettler’s abrupt departure is the latest in a string of staff turnover since the couple married in 2018. One outlet claimed Meghan and Harry have lost 18 staffers in total, with at least nine leaving upon the couple’s move to the states in 2020.
On the couple’s unusually high attrition rates, one former staffer gave eyebrow-raising insight into the reported mood among colleagues working for Meghan and Harry.
Harry and Meghan have had a total of 18 staffer quit since 2018.
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The ex-staffer said: “What may be most telling is that the entire time I worked there, I don’t think I heard a single current or former employee on their staff say they would take the job again if given the chance.”
“These aren’t employees they had just found off the streets. Many of them are people who had previously excelled working for demanding bosses in high-performance companies and environments.”
Meghan personally has had trouble staffing her newest business venture, lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, in April. While she reportedly interviewed several potential candidates for the chief executive officer position, the duchess is said to have failed to fill the role.
Nonetheless, the former Suits actress has high hopes the home goods brand will be successful, even with initial setbacks, including criticism of her first product, a homemade jam that was ridiculed over “cheap” labels online.
Meghan struggled to fill a CEO role for her new lifestyle brand after several interviews with potential candidates.
Without a chief of staff accompanying them, Meghan and Harry are slated to leave their home in California for the South America country on Thursday. The pair is expected to visit Bogota and Cartagena, where they will attend a cultural festival.
Colombian vice president Francia Márquez invited Harry and Meghan to the country to “have the exceptional opportunity to engage with elders, youth and women who embody the aspirations and voices of Colombians... and illuminate Colombia's role as a beacon of culture and innovation”.
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