It was a little bit lost in yesterday’s news about Prince Harry becoming Better Up’s Chief Impact Officer, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reshuffled their staff. The British papers reported a partial, negative version of the reshuffle, which was basically that Archewell’s executive director Catherine St. Laurent was leaving her post. Buried deep in the British media’s reporting was the confirmation that while St. Laurent was leaving the executive position, she plans to stay on in an advisory role for the foundation. Given the other moves in the reshuffle, it sounded to me like Meghan and Harry are both narrowing their focus on what they want Archewell’s charity arm to do, and they have a better idea of who they need in which position to make it happen. But please allow the Telegraph (by way of the Mail) to twist this into another story insinuating that Meghan and Harry bully their staff:
Harry and Meghan’s chief of staff is said to have ‘wanted out’ after finding herself ‘having to fulfil a great many functions for the couple’, insiders have claimed today. Catherine St Laurent was head-hunted by the couple from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to become their ‘chief of staff’ and executive director of Archewell, their new non-profit organisation, last April.
But yesterday it emerged that the Canadian-born mother-of-two had unexpectedly left her post just 11 months into the job. Insiders say Ms St Laurent ‘wanted out’ after performing tasks outside of her contract, according to The Telegraph.
One source told The Telegraph: ‘I think there was a sense that she was having to fulfil a great many functions for the couple – not all of which were necessarily in her job spec.’
Harry and Meghan were dogged by a spate of departures from their ranks as working royals, losing at least two PAs as well as other key staff from their private office. Ms St Laurent was head-hunted by the couple from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to become their ‘chief of staff’ and executive director of Archewell, their new non-profit organisation, last April.
The couple called her an ‘incredible asset’ when they announced her appointment, adding: ‘We are excited to have her on our team.’ But yesterday it emerged that the Canadian-born mother-of-two has unexpectedly left her post. There was no comment from her directly, but according to the New York Post, Miss St Laurent has already stepped down, although she will continue to work with Archewell in an ‘advisory’ role.
She will be replaced as Archewell’s executive director by the couple’s current communications officer in the UK, James Holt. Reports suggest they have no immediate plans to replace him, leaving the Duke and Duchess of Sussex without any official representation in Britain and all their media relations now being handled in the US.
One royal insider expressed surprise at Miss St Laurent’s departure, telling the Mail: ‘She was a huge appointment for them. A big hitter with a great track record, poached to head up their new working life in the US. It is really quite astonishing she has left that role after less than a year.’
Miss St Laurent is apparently launching her own new ‘social impact firm’, supported by and working with Archewell.
First, let me say this – it’s one thing for Jason Knauf and Kensington Palace to orchestrate a long-con sabotage of a full-time working royal and leak a partial version of their sabotage as part of a larger character assassination/smear campaign. It’s quite another for Kensington Palace “sources” to openly lie about a Canadian citizen’s reasons for leaving a certain role in an American foundation. The Telegraph might find itself getting sued and slapped down hard. And I’m really shocked that “palace sources” are going to the Telegraph to cast aspersions on the executive staffing decisions in an independently-operated, American-based foundation.
As for the actual story… they can’t even make up their minds about what went wrong or why St. Laurent “left.” Did she leave because Harry and Meghan were “demanding” and someone might have emailed someone else at 5 am? LOL. Or did St. Laurent simply want to start her own firm/business and also wanted to continue helping Archewell in an advisory role? Anyway, the real story is that Kensington Palace still thinks they can leak against Harry & Meghan and claim that Meghan is “bullying” staffers even now that the Sussexes have been in America for more than a year.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Honestly it’s absolutely astounding how these two have the strength to keep their chins up and keep going on what are clearly good, charitable ventures with the constant barrage of unfair criticism. I don’t know how the BM have had the gall to keep going knowing full well the impact that this has on M&H’s mental health. What is the goal here? Do they genuinely want to drive her to ground, or to suicide at this point? It’s utterly staggering.
Harry will never leave Meghan and his children so the goal of the BM is to get Meghan to divorce Harry so Harry can “come back to the UK and his REAL family” in order to support QEII, Baldingham & Kant.
Complete balderdash if you ask me! 😀
Yes, of course Harry will immediately leave his kids behind if he divorces Meghan, lol. BRF and the Rota rats should know that its a new day now. Harry is respected over here, he’s running with the big dogs now. There nothing to go back to in the UK. Byeeee!
Grumpier than thou: Yeah. They pretty much don’t give a shit. As long as their papers sell they’re fine with printing lies.
How sad that even after the Oprah interview that Harry and Megs are both still everywhere and no where. All these articles are just ridiculous.
I think the Sussexes have actually come out the other side and now ignore the hate. Plus they can now respond promptly unlike before. Meghan had already hit rock bottom and was probably why Harry made that decision to leave. I now see the toxic BM as unpaid advertisers. The more they disparage the Sussexes the more attention they call to their causes. There is a whole world out there with bigger and better platforms, so in my view, it’s a win win for H and M.
@Elizabeth I agree. It’s the family that is still trying play catch up weeks after this interview. H&M are still pushing forward with their plans and preparing for their daughter.
Exactly. My favorite take away from the article was: “ She will be replaced as Archewell’s executive director by the couple’s current communications officer in the UK, James Holt. Reports suggest they have no immediate plans to replace him, leaving the Duke and Duchess of Sussex without any official representation in Britain and all their media relations now being handled in the US.”
Boo hoo…..I love that the Sussexes no longer have a COMM person in UK. They certainly no longer need one. Why play any sort of ball with these UK bozos or — to quote Meghan —- “carnival of so called royal experts”.
I agree @ Elizabeth Regina, they are on the other side of it now. The avalanche of support has drowned out the haters, professionally and personally. They’ve seen what the family and tabloids are capable of, they have survived it and they know the playbook. They’re also away from the family which makes a huge difference. When you’re still trying to build relationships and earn respect it’s very very stressful. Once you make the decision to leave it’s very freeing and takes a lot of the sting out of the relationship. The royal family have lost the respect of M&H so M&H are no longer invested in considering them when making plans and decisions. I don’t think they’re torn any longer but even more resolved to advocate for themselves going forward. And as another commenter put it, they’re taking all the shit being shovelled at them and using it to fertilize their new life. Best description of the entire situation ever lol
Ms. St. Laurent is i an advisory role at Archwell BUT she is launching her own social impact firm supported and working with Archwell.
Are these idiots being deliberately obtuse? Please ease sweet Jesus, let the let H&M sue the Telegraph. I’m all here for it. Im hoping for 2 lawsuits, the Sun for their sleezy criminal PI investigation of Meghan and illegally obtaining her SIN, tapping her phone and using all that for thier media gain, and the second one for the Telegraph for this story. Bring it on.
these sources need to get a life! these “source” just need to get over themselves and focus on the royals they have left. these ones are gone. you didn’t protect them, literally took their security away. they don’t like you.
these sources need to be named .
If she really hated Meghan, she wouldn’t want to stay on as a senior advisor and would cut ties immediately. And it’s not “sources” saying that, it was literally written by Catherine herself (on her LinkedIn I think).
Same owner as tabloid press. It also recycles the same reporters from the same murky cesspool. So same trash.
Why do they keep referring to her as the Canadian mother of two??? That’s insulting, right? Again would they ever keep repeating to the Canadian father of two? If so, I stand corrected.
That’s how these tabloids always describe women, never men. It shows what they think about women; that their only value is in who they are related to. it’s misogynistic.
Oh this is a pet peeve of mine. Even local news have stories about ‘what local mom’s have to say about this’. As if they cannot say the word ‘woman’.
I thought the Telegraph was a reputable paper. Or has it always been part of the tabloid press but didn’t make it obvious till now?
Apparently the Telegraph have a new salary model where their writers are paid based on the amount of clicks and web traffic their articles bring. So expect standards to drop SEVERELY.
And that means it’s imperative that none of us engage with any of them on twitter, or even post comments on their articles. The Sussex Squad is passing the word. Let them eat the shit they’ve served on their own plates.
Boris “The Oaf” Johnson was a Telegraph “reporter”. He made up reports from Bruxelles, where he used to be a correspondent for them, out of thin air and phoned it in. Nothing respectable about them. The Times used to be conservative but reputable, then Murdoch bought it.
Some of these papers are as good as their weakest link. There are reputable journalists working for them and the not-so-reputable ones. Most of the articles on Meghan seem to be written by the sketchy ones and the editorship allows it. They also shield the government from criticism, while propping up the monarchy. For better coverage of what goes on in the Uk, read external papers.
well it’s also called the Torygraph so it is mostly a right wing government mouthpiece
Right. You want more objective reporting from the center-ever so slightly left, read the Manchester Guardian. You’ll be astonished at the relative paucity of Harry and Meghan articles, and the excellent political and economic reporting. They also have fantastic arts coverage.
I have always been an extension of the tabloid press but it’s getting worse they are owned by the same people that own quite a lot of tabloids and are known for being Nazi sympathisers.
LOL the “royal insiders” dont know anything about why she left or shifted roles, its all just a bunch of BS to feed into their anti-Meghan narrative. And anyone with two brain cells to rub together can see that – since she’s staying on in an advisory role and since Archewell is going to be working with her new startup. There are no burned bridges here.
I read the headline and immediately reparsed as “Royal sources have a lot to say about something they know nothing about.”
It was a reflex! My brain didn’t even really engage because I haven’t had coffee yet!
How would these “Royal Sources” have any friggin clue what is happening within the Sussexes’ private foundation when it’s clear that there’s very little communication between the two groups?? this makes zero sense….completely in make-believe world and they ought to get sued for it. Let’s hope that happens.
The RRs have nothing else to talk about and I imagine don’t want to talk about anybody else except for Harry and Meghan. Nothing is stopping them from covering the maga 7 and their work. Nobody had a gun to their heads. They are reporting on all of H&M’s comings and goings because they are more interesting and their moves are surprising. The Sussexes keep everyone on their toes. Nobody expects what they will do, which makes it more stimulating to cover. The rota must be tired of saying how perfect and amazing and prepared Harry’s Brother and his wife are. It’s boring saying the same three sentences all of the time.
As I said before I would respect them if they just said that they want to cover H&M because they are more interesting, the rest are boring, and the Sussexes get the clicks.
What work? Prince Edward unveiling tiny plaques? Kate twirling her hair and looking down every 2 words when she gives a speech with marbles in her mouth? Will “joking” about racism and covid?
haha Prince Edward came to a vaccination centre the same day and William and Catherine and the only reason I know about it because it was on the front page of our staff intranet
Lol. Right. What work? Just the work that’s soooo important and regal that they all keep saying the royals do best.
” leaving the Duke and Duchess of Sussex without any official representation in Britain and all their media relations now being handled in the US.” Dear British media: They’ve left you behind. They live in America, their company is American, goodbye! Do you need official divorce papers or what? Goodness, these folks are unhinged!
Yep. I don’t think they’re going to fill that position in the UK. They’ve contracted a company, started by two of their former staff members at BP, to deal with their charity work in the UK. All media enquiries will probably have to be made with their Press Secretary in the States. The British press will be pissed off about that.
It’s a little strange though but on the part of the one doing all the job hopping. She leaves the gates foundation to join archewell then “leaves” that too within a year?
I read that her role is more in the set up or creation of a foundation rather than in the day to day function of it. So she fulfilled her role of setting up Archewell and is now moving on to setting up her own company. It makes sense. These reporters don’t have the capacity to think through it and are purposefully misconstruing things. Not that it matters. No one cared when she left Gates Foundation for Archewell but now that she’s leaving one role to fulfill another as advisory, it’s a “big deal” and because she was “doing too much for the Sussexes.” They’re so obvious.
I didn’t know she was at the Gates Foundatiom before— makes sense to me that she would start her own consulting firm with all that experience under her belt.
Also I was going to say that if she didn’t have many connections to bring in clients (which she obviously does), the British media have now permanently associated her name and new firm with Archewell, which can only be a huge boost to reputation (in the Telegraph no less! And right before the Telegraph’s reputation starts taking a dive due to new business model mentioned above). If I were looking to set up a foundation I’d immediately be interested in seeing what her firm has to offer.
Having worked in that sector in my previous career path (but on a much lower level and scale lol) I can tell you that the nonprofit/fundraising/foundation world is….a lot messier than people see. As with most jobs, it’s not as easy, simple or frankly philanthropic as you might think. Government, taxes, rules, grants, semantics etc. will EAT YOU ALIVE. I cannot fathom setting one up with a multi-national base. There’s a lot of job hopping and turnover and it’s not reflective of the individuals or employers.
I completely defer to you regarding actual, legitimate non-profit organizations. But I have seen FAR too many “foundations” set up by wealthy individuals to store some of their largesse to evade taxes, who then shuffle the money around whenever they need into other brokerage accounts and trusts, and financial advisors all too willing to accommodate them.
It sounds like she was up front when she came on board that she would commit to one year then she would set up her own company but remain as an advisor.
She “left” in a win-win situation. She has her own firm, and now she has a high profile client in Archewell. I don’t understand the need to continually beat down this couple. They are living their lives. They left. They have a whole new life and a whole new focus. There’s a pedophile who could use some exposing in the BRF.
Once again they managed to erase a Black woman from their twisted narrative, what a shocker. Toya Holness is Archewell’s Global Press Secretary and, regardless of where she’s based, will take over Holt’s comms duties in the UK.
Love that info, SUNDAY. And I love that the Sussexes are going with a global COMM and not having a rep just for UK. They are certainly streamlining their ‘voice’. Sure beats the Crown’s COMM strategy of rumors, leaking, innuendo and multiple versions of every story via multiple anonymous “friends of, royal sources, or palace aides” mouthing off. They are picking a lane instead of drunkenly swerving all over the COMM highway.
I’m 100% certain when leaving, the couple made very clear that palaces and royal sources do not speak for them.
Hmm me thinks this bs article was written to deflect attention away from a list that’s doing rounds on SM on the revolving door of departures of Cain and Unable’s staff since April 2019. And it’s a sizeable list. Look for that list on @hmlisten’s instagram posts
I would love to see this list but I don’t have Instagram
Harry got himself a job, Meghan is pregnant with a young child, of course, they want all their ducks in a row for their business/foundation.
The lady is starting her own business with a friend, as she said they have not decided on a name yet.
The BM got the news second hand, so they have to put a twist on it.
Someone did a comparison about the staff that left the lamebridges and the Sussexes in the same period, wait for it more staff left the lamebridges, but Cameltoe would’ve you believe otherwise.
So, correct me if I’m missing something, but this sounds as though the employee is trying to set up her own company, and still wants to remain in a senior role at Archewell.
That’s…good. That’s not a demotion. That’s listening to your employee and providing them opportunities to grow. It seems clear to me that a new role was negotiated that would suit everybody. That’s how it’s supposed to work?
The British press seems to be as insular as the royal family they cover, or they think their readers aren’t very smart.
Someone on twitter found out that her contract was up anyway. I think she signed on for a year to help set up Archewell . Now that it is set up she will be an advisor.
For two people who were declared irrelevant by the British media, the media seems completely unhinged and obsessed with these two. Why don’t you go follow your white william the bore and Katie the Karen. Oh wait, no one not even the British media cares about following them
Buried in the same Telegraph article about St.Lauren was fact that her contract was up. They can’t keep their facts straight.
KP is pathetic. It STILL hasn’t caught on that the smears don’t gain traction in serious US press; Oprah saw to that.
Did anyone see on twitter yesterday someone did a breakdown of staff losses in the past few years? It’s actually astounding that the Cambridges themselves have had a complete turnover of staff, which is obviously why the tabloids are fixated on the staff of an American company. Deflect and project.
And that’s not the total list. A lot of their senior staff left the Royal Foundation in that same time period.
Is it incredibly petty of me to secretly want them to bring Catherine Quinn on board?
I hope they do sue, enough of the tabloid bullying. They have asked nice, begged, pleaded and fled to get these unnamed sources and twisted lies to stop and they still continue. If they want change it looks like their last recourse is the courts maybe the Canadian and American courts would be best since the British courts seem to allow their rulings to be discretionary and up the tabloids to honor whether followed. I love reading positive articles with no “unnamed” bitter and jealous sources. As far as I am concerned the Royal staff has lost the right to comment!
An article of lies. How would any RR know what is happening with the Harry and Meghan. And why can’t they move on? What happen to the loser 7?
This story is totally made up and will probably end up being deleted from its website. The Telegraph’s follow up story which reported on Harry’s new job at BetterUp said that Ms. St. Laurent’s contract had ended and that she would stay on in an advisory role. She was never meant to be a permanent member of staff but was there to help them set up Archewell.
Another thing, sometimes the “royal source” or “insider” is either the journalist making up quotes or another member of the royal rota providing an opinion.
It makes sense they would hire someone with expertise in setting up an American non-profit as opposed to bringing over their UK guy to figure that out. I imagine he would not be as familiar with the legal aspects. Now that it is set up, he can do the hands on job. And even he may be temporary, he may decide not to permanently relocate to the US which would probably be needed.
James Holt was supposed to be Head of their Sussex Royal Foundation so him becoming the Executive Director of Archewell makes sense and it also shows that he’s very close with Harry and Meghan.
As if a high-level execute would leak any information to these salty bit**es, especially as she is setting up her own business and will need people like H&M to pay what I’m sure will be high fees LOL The funniest part is that these royals reporters are used to reporting on silly palace drama but don’t have the actual qualifications to report on American business dealings.
“ Miss St Laurent is apparently launching her own new ‘social impact firm’, supported by and working with Archewell.”
So not only is this woman NOT leaving, she’s taking up an advisory role AND launching her own business, supported by the Sussexes.
I would be embarrassed to work for the Daily Fail.
me too. I hope the once a year stale biscuits and cheap wine (you know they don’t serve the good stuff to reporters) is worth the hit on whatever smidgeon of journalistic integrity they may have. The ratchets have sold their souls to worship people who would not choose to socialize with them, DON’T see them as friends, and probably don’t even like them. Being royal adjacent as tabloid writers doesn’t make them royal gatekeepers, and none of the ratchets toeing the party line seem to understand that. Even Victoria Arbiter, who I thought was fair, was just outed as one of the ratchets who commented on the Oprah interviewed before it aired, having been tricked by the UK pranksters along with her father, Ingrid Sewage, and another Old White Dude full of blustery outrage whose name escapes me.
She wanted out but is staying in an advisory role and starting her own firm? This is not the description of someone fleeing.
Trying to turn this into a negative story because of all the great news for Harry the last few days. Harrys dimwit brother is incandescent.
I am completely off-topic, but your photo choices, as always, draw me in. I adore how Harry and Meghan ALWAYS have to be touching each other. They don’t always [quell horreur, yes, we get it, Salty White Folk Isle, you see their natural affection and love as some kind of anathema] hold hands, but they are always leaning on each other, in pretty much every single photo of them.
Carry on, England, we will joyfully keep this happy family in the US.