Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Chief of Staff Is Leaving After Just Three Months

"I don't think I heard a single current or former employee on their staff say they would take the job again," one source alleged.

Josh Kettler, Prince Harry's Chief of Staff, attends The Invictus Games Foundation 10th Anniversary Service on May 08, 2024. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Johannesburg, South Africa on October 02, 2019.
(Image credit: Getty Images/Karwai Tang/WireImage/Chris Jackson)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might be hiring soon. On Tuesday, People reported that Harry's chief of staff, Josh Kettler, had quit his role with the Sussexes after just three months in the post. According to People, Kettler was "hired on a trial basis," and as a result, "the decision to part ways was mutual, with both sides agreeing it wasn’t the right fit."

Kettler is based in Santa Barbara, California, and accompanied the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on several important trips. He was in attendance when the couple visited Nigeria in May, and he also traveled to London with Prince Harry to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.

Meghan and Harry are set to embark on their next royal tour to Colombia. However, it's currently unclear whether they will make the trip without a chief of staff in place.

Josh Kettler, Prince Harry's chief of staff

Prince Harry's chief of staff, Josh Kettler, was reportedly "hired on a trial basis."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

News of Kettler's decision to leave his role has led to reports that Meghan and Harry may be challenging to work for. According to the Daily Mail, a source claiming to have worked for the Sussexes said, "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."

The source continued, "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."

Rumors regarding Meghan and Harry's staff have circulated ever since the couple announced their engagement. In September 2022, royal expert Valentine Low alleged that Harry and Meghan's former staff members referred to themselves as the "Sussex Survivors’ Club." However, news of Kettler's resignation suggests his decision to leave was entirely amicable.

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.