The British Royal family is never far from the news. This time Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hit the headlines with their new chief of staff quitting before he had even really started.
The Duke of Sussex took on Josh Kettler – who previously worked for medical equipment manufacturer Cognixion – earlier this year. And reports at the time said he was the perfect candidate to guide Harry through his next phase.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Nigeria in May and Kettler was a key figure on the three-day ‘tour’ of the country. He was by Harry’s side as he greeted government officials and the part he played during the visit was said to be an example of what he would do going forward.
The new chief of staff also accompanied Harry to London for a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games (a sporting event created be the Price for injured and sick service personnel) at the iconic St Paul’s Cathedral.
But suddenly, after just three months, Kettler appears to no longer be working for him – and it has caused lots of intrigue, especially given the couple’s HR track record. Not to mention the awkward timing as Harry and Meghan would have planned for Kettler to go with them on their upcoming ‘quasi-royal tour’ of Colombia.
The short time Kettler stuck it out in his new role comes as no shock to those watching the Duke and Duchess’ turnover rate. The Sussexes are said to have lost at least 18 members of staff since they married in 2018 – and at least nine left since their move to California in 2020.
Speaking to UK newspaper The Daily Mail, a former member of staff 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. 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.”
