DAILYMAIL
The Duke of Sussex’s chief of staff has left his role after just three months after mutually agreeing he was not the right fit for the role, it was claimed today.
Josh Kettler is understood to have been hired on a trial basis when he took up the senior post working with Harry in May ahead of the Sussexes’ tour of Nigeria.
He was also expected to join the couple on their working trip to Colombia from Thursday, but the Daily Mail revealed last night that he had suddenly left his job.
Now, US magazine People has reported that ‘hired on a trial basis, the decision to part ways was mutual, with both sides agreeing it wasn’t the right fit’.
Back in May the publication – which is known to be friendly with the Sussexes – had claimed Mr Kettler was preparing to ‘guide’ Harry ‘through his next phase’.
Harry and Meghan have gained a reputation for being unable to retain staff as they forged ahead with their charitable and production ventures in the US.
The Sussexes are now thought to have lost at least 18 staff since they married in 2018. Nine or more have left since they left Britain for California in 2020.
Mr Kettler, who was previously chief of staff at communication platform Cognixion, travelled to London with the Duke in May to attend the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral.
He then joined the Sussexes on their three-day tour of Nigeria, which followed straight after, and was by the Duke’s side as he met government officials.
But a source in California told the Mail yesterday: ‘Josh Kettler is no longer working for them.’
A former member of staff also told the newspaper: ‘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.’
Harry and Meghan are set to tour Colombia later this week at the invitation of the country’s vice president Francia Marquez.
Ms Marquez, a lawyer and human rights and environmental activist, said the pair would join her in visiting the capital Bogota, as well as the Caribbean and Pacific regions of Cartagena and Cali.
Details of the couple’s itinerary have not yet been released, but the vice president said they would engage in several activities related to safeguarding young people online and in physical spaces.
Meghan and Harry have long been vocal about highlighting the threat posed to children by the internet.
They launched a new initiative The Parent Network earlier this month to provide parents with a safe and free-to-access support network to help those whose children have been harmed by social media.
