Prince Harry’s intense bond with aide who replaced family before he suddenly quit
It has been revealed that Prince Harry’s Chief of Staff, Josh Kettler, has stepped down from his role after just three months – and right before the Sussexes’ scheduled visit to Colombia

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are preparing to travel to Colombia for the their upcoming tour, but the visit has been overshadowed by the news that the couple’s chief of staff has shockingly quit after just three months in the job.

Josh Kettler, a seasoned public relations professional, was said to have been brought in to help “guide him [Harry] through his next phase”. But after just 12 weeks, he has decided to walk away.

Harry and Meghan have lost several employees since making the move to California. But this loss will be felt keenly by Harry, who seemed to have developed a close bond with Josh in their short time together.

Josh started his role with the Duke of Sussex just before his and Meghan’s three-day trip to Nigeria in May. And poignantly, he was by his side when Harry flew back to London that same month to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games.

It was a difficult trip for Harry on a personal level. Having become all but estranged from the royals, he failed to see any family members during his stay – and notably, none were in attendance for the special ceremony held at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the Invictus anniversary. Instead, Josh was by his side as he arrived for the service on 8 May.

It is understood that Mr Kettler’s decision to leave was ‘mutual’ and that he was hired on a trial basis, with “both sides agreeing it wasn’t the right fit”.

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Josh was based in Santa Barbara, near to the Sussexes’ Montecito home and had previously been chief of staff and head of strategic partnerships at the communication platform Cognixion. He had also worked for outdoor clothing brand Patagonia.

It’s not the first time a major staff member in Harry and Meghan’s team has quit and moved on to pastures new. In October 2019, Samantha Cohen resigned from her role with Harry and Meghan a year after being appointed as their private secretary at the personal request of the late Queen Elizabeth.

Ms Cohen, who is originally from Brisbane, Australia , had worked for the former monarch for 17 years as press secretary and later assistant private secretary. She told Aussie’s Herald Sun that she only agreed to a short six-month secondment with Harry and Meghan, but was unable to leave as the Palace “couldn’t find a replacement” for her. She stayed for 18 months.

Former Times royal correspondent Valentine Low claimed in her book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, that Ms Cohen likened the job to “working with teenagers”. She wrote how Ms Cohen organised the couple’s first official tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand but alleged she ended up being “screamed at”.

Author Low claimed: “Sam always made clear that it was like working for a couple of teenagers. [Meghan and Harry] were impossible and pushed her to the limit. She was miserable.” Ms Cohen left soon after former Head of Communications, Jason Knauf, made a bullying complaint about the Duchess in October 2018 – allegations Meghan strongly denies.