Prince Harry, Meghan Markle chief of staff Catherine St-Laurent steps aside

One of the most personable and senior members of Harry and Meghan’s staff stands down less than a year into the job.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have lost their chief of staff.

One of the most personable and senior members of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s staff has stood down less than a year into the job.

The well-connected Catherine St-Laurent, the Canadian born executive director of the Sussex’s Archewell Foundation and chief of staff for the royal couple, has stepped back to become an “advisor’’.

In her place are fresh appointments: James Holt, the Sussex’s UK spokesman will take on Ms St-Laurent’s executive director position; while independent film producer Ben Browning will head Archewell’s content to marry it with the Sussex’s multimillion dollar Netflix and Spotify deals.

Archewell is also advised by Invisible Hand, run by Genevieve Roth, who was the head of creative engagement for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Also on Monday, Meghan lost a bid to have a public apology prominently and immediately published in a British newspaper, following her recent High Court win that her privacy was violated when the Mail on Sunday published extracts of a letter she had written to her estranged father, Thomas Markle.

The judge ruled that the apology was not “red-hot news of a perishable kind” and granted a stay of the order, pending the hearing of an appeal.

Meanwhile the shakeup among the Sussex’s business team has caused ripples in philanthropic and women’s business circles, especially those who have dealt with Ms St-Laurent during her time with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and only speak highly of her professionalism, friendliness and can-do approach.

Ms St-Laurent was poached in April last year from Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures — an investment and incubation company that advances social progress, to run Harry and Meghan’s foundation.

The Australian understands that Ms St-Laurent will continue to liaise with the couple providing high level strategic advice and will now launch her own social impact company.

In a statement, Archewell’s press secretary Toya Holness said: “Archewell is incredibly pleased to welcome Ben, Genevieve, and the Invisible Hand team to the organisation. Along with the appointment of James Holt as executive director of Archewell Foundation, they join a rapidly expanding team that’s deeply dedicated to advancing systemic cultural change and supporting compassionate communities across the world.”

While Ms St-Laurent’s departure is high profile, it may be less controversial than the succession of royal courtiers who left the couple when they were based in Britain.

At the moment, the Royal Family is holding an internal inquiry into bullying allegations levelled against the Sussex’s when they were based at Kensington Palace.

Ms Markle has rejected the bullying allegations and says it is part of a calculated smear campaign.