REVOLVING BORES
As Harry & Meghan’s chief aide moves on after three months, what has made 18 members of staff dramatically quit?
Many of their former Palace staff coined the term 'Sussex Survivors’ Club' to describe themselves
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle are earning a reputation as tough task-masters.
It seems a notable number of their staff have struggled to meet the demands of their roles and have either walked or been pushed — by mutual consent, of course.
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The latest departure in their revolving door of aides is chief of staff Josh Kettler, who has stepped down after just three months, citing a mutual agreement that the job was “not the right fit”.
The departure of the suave American, who bills himself as an “experienced executive accelerator, organiser and confidant” on his LinkedIn profile, is a little embarrassing for the needy couple as he was lauded on his arrival.
He had been extremely visible during his short tenure, notably spending three days with Harry at an Invictus Games event in Nigeria in May.
His departure also comes just ahead of the couple’s planned “royal” tour to Colombia, adding to the challenges they face in managing their public image and charitable endeavours since quitting the royals.
READ MORE ON MEGHAN MARKLE
Of course, it is not the first time key staff members have walked away from the Sussexes.
An astonishing 18 members of staff have quit working for them in just a few years — nine since they moved to Montecito, California.
Many of their former Palace staff coined the term “Sussex Survivors’ Club” to describe themselves after they quit working for the couple.
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Some even believed, only half-jokingly, they suffered a form of post-traumatic stress.
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After the latest departure in California, one insider quipped: “Perhaps there should be a Montecito arm of the Sussex Survivors’ Club.”
‘Reduced to tears’
This golden couple, who have tried to charm the world with their woke crusade, just do not seem to be able to hang on to staff.
But surely it can’t be their fault?
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The evidence would suggest otherwise, with departures having come thick and fast.
In late 2018, just months after their fairytale wedding — and arguably at the height of their popular appeal — Meghan’s personal assistant Melissa Toubati quit after reports she had been “reduced to tears” by the Duchess of Sussex’s demands.
When she was still under the Palace umbrella, I broke the story that in the lead-up to the Sussexes’ wedding at Windsor in May 2018 Harry had told the Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly in no uncertain terms “what Meghan wants, Meghan gets”.
French Melissa, who had previously worked “happily” for pop star Robbie Williams, resigned after just six months in the job.
It also emerged senior communications secretary Katrina McKeever left the Press team the same month.
Not long after, private secretary Samantha Cohen, a seasoned royal aide who worked for the late Queen Elizabeth for 17 years, resigned, reportedly frustrated by the couple’s demands.
She likened working for them to “managing teenagers”, describing an environment where she was pushed to her limits and allegedly screamed at during their official tour of Australia and the Pacific.
Cohen’s departure was followed by a string of other exits.
In January 2019 Meghan’s female bodyguard of six months, who has never been named for security reasons, also quit.
By March, senior communications secretary Jason Knauf jumped ship amid a string of unsubstantiated bullying complaints against Meghan. He went to work for Prince William and Kate’s Royal Foundation.
Meghan also went through three nannies in just six weeks after baby son Archie was born in May 2019.
Fifteen Palace staff were fired by the Sussexes when they stepped down from royal life.
Harry and Meghan’s PR chief Sarah Latham, who was highly regarded and worked for former US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, left the couple after they quit the UK in 2020. Sarah was then recruited for special projects by the late Queen.
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Following Harry and Meghan’s controversial Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021, unsubstantiated allegations of Meghan bullying Buckingham Palace staff began to emerge.
It led to the Palace bringing in an external law firm to investigate claims that Meghan bullied two personal assistants, undermined a third and left a close aide “shaking” with fear.
In the furore, it was alleged that Meghan had created a humiliating environment for staff on multiple occasions.
Past and present employees were invited to share their experiences in confidence.
They did. But the results were never made public. By the summer of 2022 the Palace had decided to keep the results private, stating only that lessons had been learned and changes would be implemented — whatever that means.
In other words, it was all hushed up.
All hushed up
Now the spotlight is on the couple’s life in California, where there has been a similar pattern of staff turnover.
Meghan parted ways with talent agent Nick Collins, of The Gersh Agency, who was with her since she was a struggling actress.
And her close friend Keleigh Thomas-Morgan, a partner at Hollywood PR firm Sunshine Sachs, split from Meghan after the couple moved to the US.
The Sussexes recruited Toya Holness, former communications chief for New York City Department of Education, but she lasted 18 months and left shortly after the Invictus Games in 2022. Just a year after their Megxit dash, Catherine St-Laurent was ousted as chief executive of their charitable foundation Archewell.
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The highly respected operator, who previously worked for Microsoft chief Bill Gates and former wife Melinda, was shifted to a “senior advisory role” but then set up a consultancy firm that does not list Archewell as a client on its website.
Meanwhile, Mandana Dayani, who was made president of Archewell, stepped down after less than 18 months in her role.
Her departure was also described as a mutual decision, with the Duke and Duchess saying at the time they would take full control of their company.
Scores of other lower-ranking staff have been hired and fired quicker than an episode of The Apprentice.
Despite the amicable tone of Dayani’s departure, it was hinted that working with Harry and Meghan has significant challen- ges at the very least.
Oscar-nominated film producer Ben Browning was named head of content at Archewell in March 2021. The foundation was supposed to be producing documentaries and podcasts.
But podcast Archetypes was dropped by Spotify and he left in January 2023.
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Two months earlier, Rebecca Sanares left her role as head of audio at Archewell.
The theme suggests that while Meghan and Harry may have a clear vision for what they want, the reality of achieving those goals often proves difficult.
One of the reasons for such a huge staff turnover in the US may be Meghan’s demands for meetings to take place in Montecito.
The Duchess rarely travels to Los Angeles for any business meetings and prefers to hold conferences online or host at the couple’s $14.5million mansion.
For many this means a four-hour round trip from LA.
As the Sussexes continue to navigate their complex roles outside of the Royal Family, the challenge of retaining a dedicated team remains a significant hurdle.
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Clearly, when it comes to staff appointments, what Meghan (and Harry) want, they do not always get!
- Robert Jobson is author of No1 best-seller Catherine: The Princess of Wales.
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