My first inkling that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex might have trouble retaining staff came in 2018, when I received a tip that Meghan’s personal assistant, Melissa Toubati, had suddenly quit, just six months after the American actress married into the Royal Family.
“It’s a real shock,” a source told me at the time. “Why would he want to leave such a prestigious job so soon?”
Officials are often reluctant to discuss personnel matters, so I was surprised that a senior Palace source chose to pay tribute to her publicly. “Melissa is a hugely talented person,” the source said. “She played a pivotal role in the success of the royal wedding and will be missed by everyone in the Royal Household.”
Prince Harry and Meghan with Josh Kettler (right) by their side during their visit to Nigeria in May
Meghan’s personal assistant Melissa Toubati has suddenly resigned, just six months after the American actress married into the Royal Family.
That anyone bothered to pay such a glowing tribute suggests Melissa’s colleagues were not happy about her passing.
The fact that he left so soon raised questions about his motives.
Indeed, it later emerged that Jason Knauf, the couple’s communications secretary, had written to Simon Case, Prince William’s private secretary, in 2018 to say: “I am deeply concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two personal assistants out of the household last year. Her treatment of X was totally unacceptable.”
He added: “The Duchess seems determined to target someone. She is bullying Y and trying to undermine her trust. We have received report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards Y.”
Melissa’s departure turned out to be the first of many departures from Prince Harry and Meghan’s staff in the years that followed.
It’s hard to keep count, but the total number of staff the Sussexes have lost since they married in 2018 is thought to be at least 18, with nine or more leaving since they moved to California two years later after stepping down from royal duties.
The Sussexes’ staff retention problem was brought into sharp focus this week after I revealed on Monday night that Harry’s grandly appointed chief of staff, Josh Kettler, had suddenly quit after just three months in the job amid much intrigue.
When Kettler was appointed, he was described as the perfect man to “guide” King Charles’s youngest son “through his next stage”.
Although a spokesperson for the Sussexes declined to comment on Kettler’s departure, an anonymous source later told People magazine (a title that has been used to get their point across on many occasions in the past) that Kettler had been “hired on a trial basis.” The source claimed that “the decision to part ways was mutual, and both parties agreed it was not the right fit.”
I am old enough to remember when Harry and Meghan declared they would not take part in anonymous briefings, which they suggested were the kind of sinister Palace methods that would have no place in their modern household. How times change.
The anonymous information given to People magazine seems quite misleading. Kettler’s hiring was no more “on a probationary basis” than any other appointment. I find the idea that they would fill a key position in that way absurd.
The importance of Kettler’s role was made clear to journalists covering Harry and Meghan’s “quasi-royal tour” of Nigeria in May, when he was seen at the duke’s side throughout.
She had previously been with Harry in London for the service at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
I, too, find their use of the word “mutual” fascinating. They used the same word to describe the end of their relationship with music streaming giant Spotify.
A source tells me: “Josh soon realised that the job wasn’t for him. There were aspects of it he wasn’t comfortable with. He thought it was better to leave now than to continue in a job he didn’t like.”
The source is too diplomatic to explain, but was it the case that the chief of staff discovered that there was only one boss in the Montecito house, and it wasn’t him?
The timing of Kettler’s departure could not be more awkward, as he was intimately involved in organising the couple’s “quasi-royal tour” of Colombia, which begins today.
She now joins the growing ranks of the “Sussex Survivor Squad” – the darkly humorous name former staffers have given themselves. The most wounded members of that “squad” were those who accused Meghan of bullying behaviour when she was still a working member of the Royal Family.
Josh Kettler has resigned as Prince Harry’s chief of staff after just three months in the job amid much intrigue.
Prince Harry and Meghan at an awards ceremony in Hollywood last month. The duchess has always strongly denied allegations of bullying.
Palace aides admitted in 2022 that a report into allegations of bullying by the duchess had been all but buried. They said the findings would never be made public. Even those involved in the inquiry were not told what the outcome was.
Officials only confirmed that their investigation had concluded and that “recommendations regarding our policies and procedures” had been made.
Aides had announced in 2021 that they were launching an investigation into allegations that Meghan’s “disparaging” behavior while a working royal drove two female personal assistants out of the household and “undermined the trust” of a third.
Staff were said to be left crying and feeling “traumatised” – with some comparing their condition to post-traumatic stress.
The royal family has hired an outside law firm to investigate the allegations, in a move that some predicted could increase tensions between Harry and Meghan and “the institution.”
The accusations have always been vehemently denied by the Duchess, whose lawyers described them at the time as a “calculated smear campaign.”
A spokesperson added: “The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma.”
Surely, if Harry and Meghan want to ensure they do not have any problems hiring in the future, they should urge the Palace to publish the report.
To subscribe to Richard Eden’s royal newsletter, click here here