When Harry and Meghan’s outgoing chief of staff was hired three months ago, sources called him the perfect man to “steer the duke through his next phase”.
But now that the Daily Mail has revealed that Josh Kettering has stepped down from his role, insiders close to the royal couple claim the veteran aide was only given the job on a “trial basis”.
Mr Kettering was hired by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in early May, weeks before their “quasi-royal tour” of Nigeria.
He was photographed with the couple during the visit, after he was spotted with Harry at the Invictus Games 10th anniversary ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral while Meghan stayed home.
But just days before the couple were due to fly to Colombia for another so-called “DIY royal tour”, it was announced that Mr Kettering, the former chief of staff at communications platform Cognixion, had quit his job.
Josh Kettler arrives at St Paul’s Cathedral in London in May for Harry’s Invictus Games service
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with Josh Kettler (circled) at their side during their stay in Nigeria in May
It’s the latest blow for the California-based couple who have lost at least 18 staff members since their marriage in 2018
A source in California told the Mail yesterday: ‘Josh Kettler no longer works for them.’
One former staff member told the newspaper: ‘Perhaps most telling is that in the entire time I worked there, I never heard a single current or former employee say that they would take the job again if given the chance.
“These are not employees that they just picked up off the street. Many of them are people who have previously excelled in their work for demanding bosses in high-performance companies and environments.”
However, insiders close to Harry and Meghan responded today to the American magazine People. They said that Kettering ‘was only hired on a trial basis. The decision to part ways was a mutual one, with both parties agreeing that it was not the right fit’.
It is the latest blow for the California couple, who have lost at least 18 staff members since their marriage in 2018. About nine of them have left since they left Britain for the United States in 2020.
The revolving door among staff shows the Sussexes have struggled to retain staff in recent years, after losing several key employees at their company Archewell.
The blow comes as Harry and Meghan prepare to travel to Colombia later this week after being invited by the country’s Vice President Francia Marquez.
Ms Marquez, a lawyer, human rights and environmental activist, said the pair would join her to visit the capital Bogota, as well as the Caribbean and Pacific regions of Cartagena and Cali.
Harry and Meghan at the State Governor House in Lagos on May 12 during their tour of Nigeria
Harry and Meghan are touring Colombia at the invitation of the country’s vice president, Francia Marquez. She will be seen at the Festival Of Culture in New Orleans on July 6.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office says it advises against ‘all but essential travel’ to parts of Colombia. The affected areas are the orange shaded areas on the map above.
No details have yet been released about the couple’s itinerary, but the vice president said they would undertake several activities related to protecting young people online and in physical spaces.
The royal tour, which is in name only, is the Sussexes’ second this year, following their three-day visit to Nigeria at the invitation of the West African country’s chief of staff.
Harry and Meghan stepped down from the working monarchy in 2020 and no longer travel abroad on official royal visits at the request of the British government.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is warning against all but essential travel to certain parts of Colombia, as kidnappings remain high.
It describes the country as “severely ravaged by conflict” and says there has been a surge in violence in parts of Colombia despite a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to end the civil war.
Harry claimed last month that it was “still dangerous” for Meghan to return to the UK.
In February, he lost a High Court case against the Home Office over a decision to change the level of his personal security when he visits the UK. He has now been given the green light to appeal.
During the trial, the court was told that Harry believes his children cannot “feel at home” in the UK if it is “not possible to keep them safe there” and that he is at greater risk than his late mother, with “additional layers of racism and extremism”.
