Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s chief of staff ‘quits’ ahead of Colombia tour

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been delivered a major last-minute blow ahead of their tour of South America

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are due to embark on a tour of Columbia in a matter of days (Image: Getty)

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s US operation appears to be crumbling, with major staff members quitting and moving on to pastures new.

The latest casualty in their organisational structure is the Duke of Sussex’s chief of staff, Josh Kettler, who is reported to have quit at short notice – after just three months in the post.

“Josh Kettler is no longer working for them,” a Californian source revealed to the Daily Mail, in a major blow shortly before the Sussexes are due to embark on their “quasi-royal” tour around a South American country.

Mr Kettler joins a long line of prestigious quitters, following the exit of Bennett Levine, manager of the Sussex’s TV company Archewell Productions, who quit at the start of the year, as well as the Oscar-nominated producer Ben Browning, who quit as head of internal content at the company in January last year.

Prince Harry’s operation has been left without Josh Kettler just before the Duke heads to Columbia (Image: Getty Images for Invictus Games Foundation)

Appointed just months ago, Mr Kettler was reportedly hired to “guide him through his next phase”, but has left the Prince in the lurch before a major international visit. It is not yet clear why Mr Kettler has left the chief of staff position.

Kettler is described on LinkedIn as an experienced worker at the elite “C-suite” level, who has also worked at medical tech startup Cognixion in a chief-of-staff position. He has also previously worked at eco-clothing brand Patagonia, during a period when the company’s profits soared.

Though he was only in position for a short time, the three-month employee was said to have been instrumental in the Sussexes’ successful Nigerian tour. But has now left the Duke and Duchess in Limbo after reportedly quitting the role.

The Daily Mail reports that the royal couple have lost nine employees since making the move to California, with a former employee telling a reporter: “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.”

Prince Harry, left, chief-of-staff, Josh Kettler, right (Image: Desk)

The couple’s planned tour of Columbia will be their second such semi-Royal appearance after stepping back as working royals. Their first tour was their successful three-day visit to Nigeria in May, which was inspired by Meghan’s discovery of her own Nigerian roots.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were invited to Columbia by Vice President Francia Márquez. The VP said the pair will “have the exceptional opportunity to engage with elders, youth and women who embody the aspirations and voices of Colombians… and illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation.”

But with this second visit, Prince Harry will be relying on his staff to ensure the tour goes smoothly and avoids a series of potential difficulties.

One such potential difficulty, highlighted by a purported friend of Prince William, is the Duke’s admitted previous use of cocaine – a drug whose production has destroyed the lives of millions of Columbians.

Prince Harry will need to find a replacement for his number two (Image: Getty)

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William’s pal told the Daily Beast: “Harry admitted to doing coke in his book [Spare].

“His trip to Colombia should include an admission that the country has been destroyed by narco-terrorists servicing wealthy drug users in the West, and he should stand up and apologize for his own participation in that disgusting trade. That would be a helpful intervention.”

In Spare, the Duke of Sussex admitted that, by the age of 17, he had already “taken cocaine” during a shooting weekend in the summer of 2002, and other events besides.