In the past ten months, here’s a brief summary of what has gone down in Kensington Palace. First, Prince William couldn’t shut up about his revolutionary new plan to hire a palace CEO to do all of his chief-executive work. Then his private secretary, Jean-Christophe Gray, quit because William is a lazy idiot. Then Kate had some kind of medical emergency and months of clownish staff work followed. Then Buckingham Palace basically assigned two new private secretaries to William and Kate, because Kate couldn’t hire or keep a private secretary for about eighteen months. And finally, KP called off their big search for a CEO, because again, no one wants to work in that fakakta office. Well, instead of focusing on any of that – William and Kate’s chaotic staff turnover and their inability to hire or keep capable people around them – Richard Eden at the Daily Mail has a new piece about Prince Harry and Meghan’s chief of staff.
When the Duke of Sussex appointed Josh Kettler as his grandly titled chief of staff earlier this year, it was said that he was the perfect man to ‘guide’ Harry ‘through his next phase’. However, the Daily Mail understands that Mr Kettler has suddenly quit his job after scarcely three months, amid much intrigue.
‘Josh Kettler is no longer working for them,’ a source in California told this newspaper today. The timing is a particular blow to Harry and his wife Meghan as Mr Kettler would have been expected to accompany them on their ‘quasi-royal tour’ of Colombia, which kicks off this week.
In May, Mr Kettler joined Harry on his visit to London to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games, the sporting event the prince created for injured and sick service personnel. Mr Kettler was seen entering St Paul’s Cathedral with the duke for the anniversary service, which was attended by figures including Harry’s uncle, Earl Spencer, but no other members of the Royal Family. Later that month, Mr Kettler was a key figure on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s three-day ‘tour’ of Nigeria and was by Harry’s side as he met government officials in the West African country. His role on the visit was said to be a foretaste of what he would achieve in the future.
Mr Kettler’s very brief time in his position highlights the difficulties that the Duke and Duchess have had retaining staff. The total number the Sussexes have lost since they married in 2018 is said to be at least 18, with nine or more having left since they moved to California in 2020.
One former member of staff told the Daily Mail yesterday: ‘What may be most telling is that the entire time I worked there, I don’t think I heard a single current or former employee on their staff say they would take the job again if given the chance. These aren’t employees they had just found off the streets. Many of them are people who had previously excelled working for demanding bosses in high-performance companies and environments.’
“The total number the Sussexes have lost since they married in 2018 is said to be at least 18, with nine or more having left since they moved to California in 2020…” What are we doing here? How are we counting and who gets counted? Because everyone has made it abundantly clear that William and Kate shared staff with the Sussexes from 2017-2019. Those were the staffers who largely facilitated the inside-job smears on Meghan. What’s also notable about that era of KP – the staffers who worked for either couple in 2017-2019 – is that almost none of them remain. Like, I believe Harry and Meghan have had some staff turnover in the past five years as they build Archewell and their commercial brands. But it’s ridiculous to give this kind of energy to the Sussexes’ staff IN AMERICA while William and Kate’s senior palace staffers have left in droves during the same time period.
Update: The Sussex camp confirmed this to People Mag: “The Duke of Sussex’s chief of staff, Josh Kettler, has left his position after three months, PEOPLE understands. Hired on a trial basis, the decision to part ways was mutual, with both sides agreeing it wasn’t the right fit.” In other words, it’s two adults handling their business and Eden needs to stop screeching.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red, Backgrid.
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on the long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721657334, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wave to crowd on the long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721657644, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Catherine, Princess of Wales speaks with the public on the long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721658028, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Meghan Duchess of Sussex speaks with well-wishers at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721658457, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, were spotted uplifting spirits during the fourth day of the Invictus Games 2023. Held at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany, the couple looked genuinely happy as they interacted with athletes and fans alike. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 13 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, were spotted uplifting spirits during the fourth day of the Invictus Games 2023. Held at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany, the couple looked genuinely happy as they interacted with athletes and fans alike. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 13 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex during day 4 of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 13 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex during day 4 of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 13 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex during day 7 of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. Pictured: Invictus Games 2023, day 7, Dusseldorf, Germany – 16 Sept 2023 BACKGRID USA 16 SEPTEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
They are like trump with the numbers being a big thing to them when in all reality it’s NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS! More crap to cover for the lazies who in their down time grew dirt on their face.
Love it 😍” MIND YOUR GOD DAMN BUSINESS” Tim Walz 🤣🤣🤣
He looks like he’s trying to be ‘edgy’ but just can’t pull it off! He wants to be Harry so badly
My understanding that person that H&M hired was on a three month trial period to see if he was the right fit for the job and he was a expert in PR management. Most PR strategies are to get aggressively on top of a story when it breaks in order to minimize the damage to their clients. Maybe H& M more nuanced approach to only answer to certain things because of their respective status didn’t mesh with the direction this new person wanted to take them. Secondly if I could bet in Vegas on how many times Cosplay Willeaks would pull a stunt before H& M make a public appearance I would be rich.
Maybe they’re counting any person that has ever been in contact with the Sussexes, who knows ?
One obvious thing they don’t seem to mention when they say: “…over half didn’t go with the Sussexes…” Uhm, maybe some didn’t WANT to MOVE FROM England to GO TO the US…??? Maybe they didn’t or couldn’t uproot their families there, kids in schools, dependent older relatives, etc??? Not *everyone* can and will just pack it up and move across continents/oceans for a job. Sheesh!
People leave jobs. Sometimes you realize you’re not actually a fit for what they intend for the role, sometimes they figure that out about you. It’s better to do it sooner rather than later if you both realize that. And I guarantee all the “people” that Richard has spoken to that wouldn’t go back work at Kensington Palace and not at Archewell. What I want to know, is why does Richard Eden care? Why do you care why two people who live 11 time zones away, who you don’t support at all in any manner have difficulty ” keeping” staff. We are three months away from their last royal tour in 2019. It’s been FIVE years. I know it’s killing them that Invictus is still going and growing, countries are starting to invite them to travel on behalf of their own charitable organization and not part of the QCT, and they are still securing media and financial deals. They are not going to fail and come back, move on.
9 people leaving in 4 years doesn’t seem like that many to me. Especially when you are running a small startup company/foundation. I can imagine it’s quite a high stress job too, especially with people like Eden stalking you. I think H&M have done remarkably well to considering the constant harassment they get. Their staff always seem happy when you see them in videos.
Exactly. It shows me that these people don’t know anything about running a business at all. And the obsession with the Sussexes because the dull and lazy couple that you are left with bore you.
And some of these people were hired to help start up Archewell and then leave. Some were not meant to be a permanent hire.
I know someone whose SIL has worked for lots of very famous people. She worked for Harry and Meaghan for about a year, she said they were both lovely and very professional. And she does NOT say that about everyone she has worked for.
I’m not buying what these people are selling about these two. I think they’re fine to work for apart from the stress of all the stalking and constant vitriol aimed at them.
I don’t care much about the staff turnover of private companies and organizations so these stories are always pointless to me. Eden should pay more attention to the revolving door of staff his taxes are paying for in the UK.
Lol, chief of staff isn’t a “grand title,” not like “Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter” – it’s a real job. It seems Kettler was hired on a 3-months trial basis and both sides decided it wasn’t working.
Why would someone who had left a job for whatever reason be talking about taking it back again? They have to really scrape to find angles here.
being obsessed with the staff is a weird look.
How many years are they going to stalk every aspect of the Sussex’s life in America before we can file a restraining order on England and the hateful British tabloid media! People are literally being stabbed in the streets and the far right are rioting and also destroying communities emboldened by racist hate spewed out by the tabloid media but let’s continue to abuse the Sussex’s🙄.
Why does Harry need a chief of staff?
Same reason any business person does.
Which business would this be? Unless you’re the head of a massive organization that’s not a thing.
Massive organization? Many hire a chief of staff when undergoing expansion and may do so with as few as 50 employees.
Yeah, you are right. I googled the Clooney Foundation and they have a Chief of Staff. I suppose Archwell is set up or trying to organize similarly to the Clooneys foundation or the Tiger Woods Foundation.
He was an Archewell employee, not a personal employee..
If Archewell is turning over staff more than KP it’s bc KP can’t hire anyone at all.
What evidence is there that Archewell is turning over staff faster than KP? Many people have left KP since 2018. Kate has had so many private secretaries. Remember the woman that quit before she even officially started the job?
@julia. There is none, that’s why I said “if.” There is so much evidence to the contrary. People have going on record for years saying they love working with both Meghan and HarryBut the entire tone of Eden’s piece was to imply there is. I just wanted to add to the conversation that there cannot be turnover if there are no employees.
@Steph – I came on to say exactly the same thing. As far as we know Kate still hasn’t hired a Private Secretary. William’s CEO has failed to materialise. The Diversity Tzar (which IMHO they desperately need) was “quietly” shelved, and I’m sure there have been other vacancies which I’ve forgotten. This begs the question why can’t the BRF attract staff. H&M hire a Chief of Staff and it’s mutually agreed that it’s not going to work, and I’ve no doubt there will be no shortage of prospective candidates putting themselves forward as a replacement. This just doesn’t seem to happen for the BRF, so surely the bigger story is why aren’t people just interested in working for them.
This article makes me wonder what’s going on behind the scenes at either KP or CH that Will or Charles are trying to keep quiet? What has Andrew done recently that they’re trying to distract from? I can no longer read articles like this without wondering who’s it benefiting back in the UK?
1. Maureen Eden doesn’t know sh*t.
2. IF this man were hired on a long-term basis and suddenly left it is highly likely that Harry discovered that he spoke to people he was not supposed to speak with, e.g. tabloid people, and Harry let him go.
3. As someone said above, IF true, then they both had 3 months to decide (probation period) whether they were a good fit and it didn’t work.
4. An article like this DOES highlight the glaring discrepancies in reporting re William and Kate and their far numerous staff departures, frequently under an assortment of clouds. But it’s radio silence on this from the usual rota suspects and assorted experts.
What would slimy Richard Eden do if he couldn’t write about the Sussexes? Imagine having a whole “relevant” royal family still residing in the UK and spending every waking hour investigating what H+M are doing – while claiming that they are irrelevant?
Let’s not forget the Private Secretary who quit before she started working for Kate. Apparently, Richard Eden is counting the people who were made redundant or were transferred to other offices in BP and KP after Harry and Meghan were told that they couldn’t be half in and half out. As Kaiser said, the bigger story here is the many people who have left KP since William and Kate full time working royals in 2017.
The British public pays for the staff turnover at KP and that’s who they should focus on. The woman who quit before she even started is really a bizarre situation but of course they don’t speak of it.
Someone working for a bit and then realizing it is not working out is not unusual and in any case, the British public isn’t paying for any of this.
Well, as KP has shown, you won’t have a staff turnover problem if you simply can’t and won’t hire anyone to work with you…
Hm.. the Gusrdian says it was an amicable decision after a trial period …
The same article though referred to The Sussex trip to Colombia trip as a tour. Isn’t it just a mutually supportive visit?
People is reporting the same thing which is normal business practice. Richard Eden’s pissed that Harry and Meghan’s office didn’t respond to his emails. This article was an attempt by Richard Eden to get attention from Harry and Meghan.
Eden continually gets these kinds of exclusives and it’s very interesting…especially since he is so hostile to the Sussexes. Could he have a mole on the inside of Camp Sussex? His whole beat now seems to be reporting on their operation – including searching for stories involving paperwork with their branding, etc. It shows how lucrative that beat must be.
I’m sure Richard Eden monitors Linkedin or some other site for changes in staff at Archewell. He doesn’t have a mole. If he did he would have known that Harry and Meghan were going to Colombia before everybody else.
What makes you think this is an exclusive? This information could be gleaned from stalking Archewell employees LinkedIn. There is zero insight in the article. Just one ex employee who could quite easily be made up since they give no actual reason why people might be unhappy at the company.
I can bet you there is a chart of archwell employees where the British tabloids monitor their linked in accounts which have to be public.
How lucrative that beat (stalking H-M) must be? As opposed to what royal rota work should be, i.e. actually reporting on the so-called “working” royals: Chuck, Cam, Anne, Edinburgh titled folks, Willy, Kitty and and and and nothing. Britmedia working hard trying to rope H-M into some kind of royalness something even though they’ve been gone > 4 yrs.
He was hired on a 3 month trial period after which both parties decided it wasn’t a good fit. Nothing strange about this; businesses do this all the time.
So is exactly what I thought, either they realized that he wasn’t a fit for what they need in the role, or he realized that he wasn’t going to be doing what he thought that he would and they decided to part ways. What it goes to show is that a lot of those people over there in the BM and especially the courtiers don’t actually have any experience with legitimate business practices. They always seemed shocked that people move on after fulfilling what they were brought onboard for, that trial periods for roles exist, and that everyone isn’t going to stay at a company for 25 years regardless how much they like their co-workers or their boss.
That’s interesting, Libra, and good to hear. Because the way articles like this read is how awful Meghan and Harry are to work for, and perhaps more so Meghan (always the woman) because she drives them away with her demanding perfectionism (5am remember!). A short term contract explains things far better. And also, the bit about how former employees would never work for them again. First of all, pinch of salt. Second, I have never left a job and said “goodbye, I’m moving on, but I’ll come back”. People don’t often return, if at all.
@sparrow1: Plus it’s just not true because at least 3 people who worked with Harry and Meghan when they were working royals still work with them today.
Uhmmmm @sparrow1, this particular article seems to pinpoint Harry. The whole article is bs. This article, imo, doesn’t ‘read’ Meghan is awful or hard to work for. I may be misinterpreting things. It seems like you are bringing up Meghan when the article (which I disagree with as a whole), isn’t implying anything about Meghan. You are. Why? It’s not a secret Meghan had a smear campaign against her. Seriously, why are you bringing up British Media talking bs points?
Didn’t Kate’s private secretary (or chief of staff) leave after she had been announced but before she started the job?
They are always putting together a new power team to get them onto the world stage! (Remember that bollocks last year? How can a slimmed back bargain basement monarchy expect to figure internally?) Major team players leave W&K. And I suspect a lot more low level staff leave than is known about. I say this because it’s been reported they have arguments and physical rows in front of staff, which must make for an uncomfortable working environment. The only reason I think staff could be retained by these two is through high wages – keep them close, keep them from blabbing. I’m convinced that reports of staff witnessing W&K’s fights were put into the mainstream because someone was about to tell what it’s like to work with them. Ditto William’s solo trip to Scotland.
Why yes @Brassy Rebel. Alison Corfield. The BM/royalists like to pretend things didn’t happen with the Wails, lynchpins (lol), lazy jewels of the crown and other things.https://www.celebitchy.com/803280/princess_kate_hired_a_loud_ball-breaker_private_secretary_from_the_private_sector/
fun stuff
https://www.tatler.com/article/princess-of-wales-new-private-secretary
While they probably pay well, Archewell is still a non-profit. Highly-desired employee candidates are constantly getting recruited and poached — no idea if this is the case, but a higher corporate/for-profit salary would be tempting for anyone.
People used to try and poach Kris Jenner’s staff all the time because she had them trained so well. The guy on Flipping Out show stated this. Happens everywhere. He could have just been building his resume, and found job was not right for him.
We know the royal family is toxic and awful. That doesn’t mean that H and M are faultless and perfect and easy to work for. While I’m staunchly team H and M, that doesn’t mean we need to put them on a pedestal and give them a pass for absolutely everything they do. Geez
Give them a pass? What for? What have they done wrong in this instance? A member of staff starts on a trial basis and it doesn’t work out. What exactly are you saying they did wrong?
Well, considering that we don’t actually know what they’re doing, it would be presumptuous to think we’re qualified to give them a pass.
Presumptuousness abounds on all sides. They sound insufferable — Windsors, Sussexes, the entire lot of them.
Sometimes a PR person’s vision does not align with the bosses’. It doesn’t mean the bosses are problematic. I can guarantee you most celebrities have had turnaround of PR people.
Not everyone is prepared to work for the Sussexes. It’s a small business /organization still finding its way, with a lot of scrutiny, harassment, which leaves very little room for error. The reality is it’s probably not an easy job, you need to define it around two of thee most famous people in the world.Maybe they need to diversify their staff more but not everyone can handle it. Why we even know about these people is beyond me, but the tabloids are happy for the distraction from the UK summer unrest and royal malaise. Meanwhile the Sussexes still have work to do and upcoming trips.
This is a balanced reply and food for thought. I get the feel, for Meghan, that perhaps her huge prior success and independence as a one woman operation may create/have created initial gear changes in delegating across a board of people. This must be a factor for anyone starting up an organisation. It’s early days. Generally, we need to remember that a lot of time has been taken up with other stuff; this isn’t a ‘normal’ couple doing a start up with no interference or criticism.
Imagine for a PR person dealing with constant attacks from many news groups and social media, every single day. Worse than many celebrities or even politicians.
I’ve said it before, ima say it again, the English royal family is acting like the far right asshats in this country. They have zero dignity. And it started with charles and diana airing their dirty laundry in public and now it’s a runaway train bereft of dignity.
The BRF never had dignity. It is a massively corrupt organization.
I’ve been saying this. The British Royal Institution is a right wing organization.
I think even many people who love the Sussexes on a personal level would find it challenging to work for them long term. Look at how many times they have had to change their plans and how diverse yet deep their work is. Tours, documentaries, TV shows, books, professional engagements, I’m exhausted just trying to remember it all to list it. And they had to roll out most of these things around major disruptions like deaths in the family, personal bereavement, pregnancies, lawsuits, pandemics, actual sabotage, and what else am I forgetting?
What they’re accomplishing is amazing. I am not surprised if they have to go through a number of different people to do it all.
If I were the most bullied couple in the world, I’d be super stressed. I can’t imagine Harry and Meghan’s PTSD.
Ok so it’s confirmed that the DM doesn’t know what a trial basis is lol.
I imagine one of the things that all Archewell staff has to live with are the internet trolls and right wing media led by the British tabloid press. Not everyone can cope with that. I know if I worked for Harry and Meghan, all the vile trash thrown at them would get me down.
I agree with you.
it was a trial basis for 3 months-the path the Sussexes wanted did not jive with the chief of staff-noone is mad -they shook hands and moved on-it sometimes takes awhile for the right persons to mesh with others-if they don’t see the path forward in the same way then its best to separate sooner than later-no big deal
Are these 18 people in the room right now, Maureen?
Maureen says what, now?