‘Not comfortable’: New claim after Harry, Meghan’s chief of staff resigns

Following reports of a “mutual” parting - a new claim has shed further light on Harry and Meghan’s latest high-profile staffer exit.

Fresh claims have surfaced that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new chief of staff “wasn’t comfortable” with his role, following initial reports his abrupt resignation was a “mutual” decision.

Josh Kettler left his position after only three months earlier this week, just days ahead of the start of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s high-profile Colombian tour.

It was reported in People magazine at the time that both parties had agreed it “wasn’t the right fit” after a “trial” period.

However, a source has now told the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden that Kettler, who was alongside the couple on their Nigeria tour in May and also accompanied Harry to the UK for an Invictus Games event, wasn’t comfortable with “aspects” of the position.

“There were aspects of it that he wasn’t comfortable with,” the source told the publication. “He thought it was better to leave now than to continue in a job that he did not enjoy.”

Harry and Meghan are now on the hunt for a new chief of staff. Picture: Raul Arboleda/AFP

Kettler, pictured here in London at Invictus Games service at St Paul’s Cathedral. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Kettler had previously worked as chief of staff to the CEO of Better Place Forests and for development company Cognixion. He also was once employed in the legal affairs department of Lionsgate Films.

He was initially employed by the Sussexes on the basis that he was believed to be the ideal person to “guide” the couple through their “next phase”.

Not only was his departure surely nightmare timing for Harry and Meghan, as Kettler would almost certainly have joined them on their current tour of Colombia – but it also once again put into sharp focus the longstanding issues the couple have faced in retaining staff.

The royal couple in Bogota, Colombia, on Thursday. Picture: Diego Cuevas/Getty Images

It’s understood 18 senior employees have quit working for them since their royal wedding, including at least nine since their move to the US in 2020.

Amid the news that Kettler had followed them all out the door, a former member of staff told the Daily Mail that they had not 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,” the source pointed out.

“Many of them are people who had previously excelled working for demanding bosses in high-performance companies and environments.”

It also comes amid reports that Meghan has been struggling to find a CEO for her new lifestyle and homewares brand, American Riviera Orchard.