Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s staff exodus in full – ‘tears, misery and roles sat empty’
IEOP

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dramatically quit their royal roles and moved to the United States, they quickly appointed a whole new team of staff.

But as the years have passed, the couple has gained something of a reputation for being unable to hang on to employees as they forge ahead with their charitable and production ventures outside the Firm.

And in another blow, it has been revealed that Harry’s chief of staff has left his role after just three months – taking the total to 18.

Josh Kettler, a high-flying PR executive, took up the senior post working with Harry in May ahead of the Sussexes’ tour to Nigeria. His departure comes as Harry and Meghan prepare for their working trip to Colombia this week.
It is understood Mr Kettler was hired on a trial basis and the decision to part ways was mutual, with both sides agreeing it was not the correct fit. But he’s not the only Harry and Meghan staff member to leave in recent years…

Royal exodus
After Harry and Meghan wed in May 2018, the couple, who were still working royals at this point, saw a string of staff changes with several leaving their posts. Among those leaving were senior communications secretary Katrina McKeever, Meghan’s personal assistant Melissa Toubati, a female royal protection officer and their assistant private secretary, Amy Pickerill.

Melissa Toubati mysteriously handed in her notice after just six months with the Duchess of Sussex. A source said: “Her job was highly ­pressurised and in the end it became too much. She put up with quite a lot. Meghan put a lot of demands on her and it ended up with her in tears.

“She is hugely talented and played a pivotal role in the success of the royal wedding. She’ll be missed by everyone in the household. Melissa is a total professional and fantastic at her job, but things came to a head and it was easier for them both to go their separate ways.”

In October 2019, their private secretary Samantha Cohen, who had worked for the late Queen, also left. Former Times royal correspondent Valentine Low claimed in his book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, that fed-up Ms Cohen likened the job to “working with teenagers”.

In his book, author Low told 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”. “Sam always made clear that it was like working for a couple of teenagers,” Low claimed a source said. “They (Meghan and Prince Harry) were impossible and pushed her to the limit. She was miserable.”

Ms Cohen left soon after and told Australia’s Herald Sun that she only agreed to a short secondment but was unable to leave as the palace couldn’t find anyone willing to replace her. She said: “I was only supposed to stay for six months but stayed for 18 – we couldn’t find a replacement for me and when we did we took them on tour to Africa with Harry and Meghan to show them the ropes but they left (quit) as well while in Africa.”

Meanwhile, after they left the royal lives behind, their director of communications Sara Latham also parted ways with Harry and Meghan.

Archewell execs
When Harry and Meghan quit the UK for the USA, they quickly set up their charitable organisation Archewell, making several big appointments, including chief of staff Catherine St Laurent.

However, she only completed 11 months in the role before she moved on. In an interview with The Cut, she described working for Harry and Meghan as “an incredible experience”. She added: “They are incredibly talented and creative leaders. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to do that, to be able to be with them on their journey. The time that I spent with them was incredibly fulfilling.”

Just months later, the couple’s global press secretary Toya Holness also left Archewell after just a year in the role. She had been tasked with overseeing the Sussexes’ PR on both sides of the Atlantic. Insiders at the time claimed she “wanted out” after finding herself “having to fulfil a great many functions for the couple”.

Then in December 2022, just days before Harry and Meghan’s controversial documentary landed on Netflix, then president of Archewell, Mandana Dayani, left her post after just 18 months. At the time, it was understood that Harry and Meghan were to take on full leadership of the organisation, and a statement from Archewell was at pains to make clear they had not fallen out.

Meanwhile, last year, Fara Taylor, who was in charge of marketing at Archewell, also left the organisation as Harry and Meghan looked to ‘streamline’ staff.

Production staff
However, it hasn’t just been from their charitable arm where Harry and Meghan have lost staff. They’ve also seen a high turnover from their production company. The couple set up the production arm in the wake of signing multi-million dollar deals with Netflix and Spotify.

But in December 2022, the head of Archewell Audio, Rebecca Sananes, quit after being hired to work on Meghan’s Archetypes podcast. The podcast lasted one season on Spotify before the Sussexes’ deal with the streaming giant was axed.

Last year, Nishika Kumble, who was the senior vice-president of scripted television at Archewell, left after less than two years. She was closely followed by TV executive Bennett Levine, whose departure was described as a “serious blow”, after he moved to a rival organisation.

Also quitting was Oscar-winning producer Ben Browning, who worked on the Netflix docu-series Harry & Meghan. Before he left, Browning had been the head of internal content for Harry and Meghan.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle © Joshua Sammer/Getty Images
Prince Harry, whose chief of staff has left his position
Prince Harry, whose chief of staff has left his position © Getty Images for Project Healthy Minds
Josh Kettler, who has quit as chief of staff
Josh Kettler, who has quit as chief of staff © Getty Images for Invictus Games Foundation
Meghan Markle with the late Queen and Samantha Cohen in 2018
Meghan Markle with the late Queen and Samantha Cohen in 2018 © Getty Images
Former Archewell executive Catherine St Laurent
Former Archewell executive Catherine St Laurent © Linkedin
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Rose of Tralee CEO Anthony O’Gara will miss his duties at this year’s Rose of Tralee Festival which gets under this Friday (August 16).

An announcement was made on Tuesday by the Festival of Kerry Communications Office that Mr O’Gara would be unavailable for the 2024 Rose of Tralee schedule as he continues to recover from cardiac surgery

One of Mr O’Gara’s most important tasks in the high-profile week is announcing the Rose of Tralee winner on live television at the MTU Campus on the final night when the Rose is crowned.

“Anthony is currently recovering from cardiac bypass surgery and the entire Rose Team send him our best wishes for a speedy recovery,” said a spokesperson for the Festival of Kerry.
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