Harry and Meghan’s chief of staff quits after only three months
Josh Kettler, who departed just before the couple’s high-profile visit to Colombia, is the ninth member to leave the Sussex office in three years.
The Duke of Sussex’s chief of staff has left after three months, and just before the couple embark on a visit to Colombia.
Josh Kettler, whose experience includes six years with the outdoor clothing brand Patagonia, is the ninth member to leave Prince Harry and Meghan’s office in three years.
When he joined the Sussexes earlier this year, US People magazine said his role would be “guiding” Harry “through his next phase” while Meghan concentrated on the launch of her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
However, following a report in the Daily Mail that Kettler, who is based in Santa Barbara, was to leave, People magazine reported that he had only been hired “on a trial basis” and that “the decision to part ways was mutual, with both sides agreeing it wasn’t the right fit”.
Harry, 39, and Meghan, 43, are due to arrive in Colombia this week, with a series of public engagements to promote the work of their non-profit foundation.
Francia Marquez, the vice-president of Colombia, said that the couple had “kindly accepted my invitation to visit our beautiful country”. She added: “The duke and duchess will join me in visiting Bogota, as well as the Caribbean and Pacific regions of Cartagena and Cali. In these vibrant locations, they will have the exceptional opportunity to engage with leaders, youth, and women who embody these aspirations and voices of Colombians committed to progress.”
Marquez said that the visit came at “a particularly significant time”, with Colombia due to host the first global conference on Ending Violence Against Children. However, the timing of the visit comes at a febrile time for Colombia’s government.
On Friday President Petro, the country’s first left-wing leader, suggested that Ivan Mordisco, the rebel commander of the Estado Mayor Central group, was planning to have him assassinated.
Relations between the government and rebel factions remain tense, with a ceasefire breaking down last month. The EMC is a dissident group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) that rejects a 2016 peace deal.
Petro said in a post on Twitter/X: “I would ask alias Ivan Mordisco if it’s true that he has allied himself with the self-proclaimed ‘New Drug Trafficking Board’ with secret headquarters in Dubai, from where they commit crimes, to kill me with paid snipers.”
In a statement to the UN last month, Barbara Woodward, Britain’s representative to the UN, warned that the next two years of Petro’s government would be “critical” to building sustainable peace in the country. She welcomed Colombia’s focus on treating the root causes of the conflict.
For some, Colombia is a puzzling choice for the couple, particularly in the light of Harry’s concerns over his personal security. He is pursuing court proceedings against the Home Office in Britain arguing that his automatic right to police security should be reinstated every time he visits the UK. He argues that although he is no longer a working member of the royal family the threat level to him as the son of the King remains the same.
During court proceedings, he said he did not feel that it was safe for him to visit the UK with his wife and their children.
The High Court was told that Harry wanted his children to “feel at home” in the UK but could not if “it’s not possible to keep them safe”.
The duke’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Kettler was not available to comment.
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