It was reported this evening that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s new chief of staff has resigned just three months before their Columbia trip.
This evening, the Daily Mail reported that Josh Kettler, who was appointed as chief of staff, suddenly resigned after just three months.
A source said to be from California, USA, told the paper, “Josh Kettler no longer works for them.” 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. If true, this would suggest that Meghan and Harry’s US operations appear to be unraveling as key employees are leaving and taking on new roles.
“Josh Ketler is no longer working for them,” a California source told the Daily Mail. It comes as a major blow just days before the Sussexes depart for a “quasi-royal” tour of South America.
Ketler joins a long line of high-profile fallouts. Earlier this year, Bennett Levin, manager of the Sussexes’ TV company Archewell Productions, resigned, as did Oscar-nominated producer Ben Browning, who left his role as head of in-house content in January last year.
Ketler took over a few months ago and was reportedly hired to “guide them to the next stage,” but has now abandoned the prince ahead of a major overseas trip. It is not yet clear why Ketler left his role as chief of staff.
Josh Ketler was previously seen entering St Paul’s Cathedral with Prince Harry for Invictus Day, a ceremony attended by some dignitaries including Harry’s uncle and Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, but no other members of the royal family.
Kettler is described on LinkedIn as an elite C-suite senior executive who also served as chief of staff at medical technology startup Cognixion. He previously worked for eco-clothing brand Patagonia, at a time when the company’s profits were soaring.
Though he was only in the role for a short time, the three-month employee is said to have contributed to the success of the Sussexes’ Nigerian expedition. But now he has reportedly abandoned his job, leaving the Duke and Duchess at a loss.
The Daily Mail reports that the royal couple have lost nine employees since moving to California, with one former employee telling the reporter, “Perhaps most aptly, we never lost a single person in the entire time I worked there.” Current and former employees say they would like to take the job again if given the chance.
“They’re not just employees you find off the street. Many of them have previously excelled in high-performing companies and environments, under demanding bosses.”
The couple’s planned trip to Colombia will be their second visit as associate royals after retiring from working royal life. Her first tour followed a successful three-day visit to Nigeria in May, inspired by Meghan’s discovery of her Nigerian roots.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were invited to Colombia by Vice-President Francia Márquez, who said the couple “will have a wonderful opportunity to interact with older people, young people and women who embody the aspirations and voice of the Colombian people.” “It will highlight Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation.”
But on this second visit, Prince Harry will be relying on his staff to ensure the trip goes smoothly and avoids many potential difficulties. A friend of William’s previously told The Daily Beast: “Harry admits in his book that he was doing coke.
“His visit to Colombia should include an acknowledgement that the country has been destroyed by narco-terrorists who cater to wealthy Western drug users, and he should stand up and apologise for his own involvement in this abhorrent trade. That would be a useful intervention.”
In Spare’s words, the Duke of Sussex admitted that at the age of 17, he had already “taken cocaine” during the shooting weekend and other events in the summer of 2002.