Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are known for quitting the Royal family, but now the shoe is on the other foot as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are dealing with a senior staffer quitting on them at the most inopportune of moments.
After already leaving the Royals fuming with their trip to Nigeria in the spring — which had all the pomp and publicity of an official Royal tour, despite being wholly unofficial — Harry and Meghan are planning to embark on their next Not-Royal visit, with the couple traveling to Colombia this August.
It’s a busy time for the Sussexes, then, which is why it’s no doubt a pain that the pair of them will have to focus on finding a new chief of staff now that their old one has resigned his post… after only three months on the job.
Josh Kettler, Harry and Meghan’s chief of staff, becomes 19th senior staffer to quit the Sussexes in 6 years
Josh Kettler, the couple’s chief of staff, has left his position on the duke and duchess’ employ, after just three months in the role. He started the job one week before Harry and Meghan’s Nigeria trip, so it’s only fitting that he ends it the week of their next tour, with the Colombia visit beginning this Thursday, Aug. 15.
The reason for Kettler’s short stint with the Sussexes is reported to be because he was only employed on a trial basis and his decision to step away from the role is a “mutual” one as both sides “agreed it was not the best fit.” That’s despite Kettler — who previously served as the chief of staff for communications company Cognixion — initially being praised as the perfect person to “guide” Harry and Meghan through their “next phase.”
On its own, Kettler’s brief employment wouldn’t be all that big of a deal, but it’s worth noting that he is the 19th senior staffer to work for Harry and Meghan who has left their side ever since they tied the knot in 2018. At least nine of those — including important personnel from the couple’s company, Archewell Productions, which makes their Netflix shows and Spotify podcasts — have parted ways with the pair since their great migration to Montecito, California in 2020.
As per what a former member of staff told The Daily Mail (via Independent), not “a single current or former employee on their staff say they would take the job again if given the chance.”
The unnamed source went on to stress that it’s unusual for these highly skilled individuals to desert such well-paying jobs that they are abundantly qualified for. “These aren’t employees they had just found off the streets,” the source maintained. “Many of them are people who had previously excelled working for demanding bosses in high-performance companies and environments.”
The reason for Kettler’s resignation may be that it’s a simple case of a collaboration not working out, but the numbers certainly indicate that Harry and Meghan probably don’t have many “World’s Best Boss” mugs in their cupboards.
