Here’s Why so Many of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Staffers Quit Working for Them
It’s no secret that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have lost several of their employees, 14 within a four-year period, and that’s not even counting the most recent and shocking departure of their chief of staff, Josh Kettler. The PR guru left after just three months on the job and right before the couple’s big trip to Colombia. Now, many are questioning why so many of those employed by the Sussexes have quit.
There were past allegations that Meghan wasn’t easy to work with, and therefore, household aides dubbed her as “Duchess Difficult.” Then, there were the explosive claims that she “bullied” staffers, which the duke and duchess have always denied.
We’re taking a look at some of their former staff members who decided to leave and the reasons they chose to do so.
The reasons some of Prince Harry and Meghan’s staffers resigned
A total of 15 employees lost their jobs on Meghan and Harry’s staff when the pair decided to move to America. But 14 more have other reasons they no longer work for the duke and duchess. They include members of their PR team to Archewell media company employees to a royal protection officer, whose identity has been kept confidential for security reasons, all resigning within or just over a year on the job.
Melissa Toubati was once Meghan’s personal assistant. She left her position in November 2018, a short time after she began working for the duchess. Several reports claim that she quit just a few months into the job when she was allegedly reduced to tears by her boss.
Another woman, Toya Holness, who had been on the prince and former Suits star‘s team since October 2020 and was promoted to manage their PR across the Atlantic in March 2021. However, she ended up quitting in May 2022. Insiders said that Holness “wanted out” after finding herself “having to fulfill a great many functions for the couple.”
Two of the most famous Sussex employee exits were those of senior communications secretaries Jason Knauf and Christian Jones. They left their roles in March 2019 to work for Prince William and the Princess of Wales (formerly Kate Middleton). It was later discovered that Knauf filed a formal complaint about the alleged bullying experienced by various royal household staff members.
Former Palace employee admits the Sussexes couldn’t keep people on staff
Another high-profile departure was Samantha Cohen’s. She was employed as a top staffer for the late Queen Elizabeth II for 17 years before she was moved to help out Harry and Meghan’s team when they were short-staffed. She even became Meghan’s private secretary at one point.
Cohen told The Herald Sun that she was one of the 10 staffers interviewed for the Palace’s investigation into the “bullying allegations.” She also confirmed that there was high turnover as people did not want to work for the Sussexes.
“I was only supposed to stay for six months but stayed for 18,” Cohen told the Australian publication. “We couldn’t find a replacement for me and when we did, we took them on tour to Africa with Harry and Meghan to show them the ropes. But they left (quit) as well while in Africa.”
Cohen is thought to be one of the sources for Valentine Low’s book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, in which it was claimed that Harry and Meghan’s former staff members referred to themselves as the “Sussex Survivors Club.”
During an episode of Palace Confidential, Low explained: “When [Sam] started, Harry knew her well and liked her and she liked Harry. Sam is an incredible problem solver, she’s a can-do personality and she just found it really difficult. She was asked to do things that a private secretary wouldn’t normally be asked to do and I think she was treated harshly. She was shouted at by Meghan [and] said that dealing with them was like dealing with a couple of teenagers.”
The duke and duchess have denied the claims that Meghan bullied staffers calling the allegations a “smear campaign.”
