Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Chief of Staff Resigns Ahead of Couple’s Colombia Trip: Report

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have lost their newly appointed chief of staff just days before they were set to embark on a trip to Colombia.

In May, the royal couple brought on seasoned executive Josh Kettler to join their firm. The Santa Barbara resident came to the Sussexes with experience at companies including Patagonia, Lions Gate Films, Cognixion and Better Place Forests.

“Kettler is no longer working for them,” a source told the Daily Mail on Monday, August 12.

The executive, who describes himself as a “seasoned executive accelerator, organizer and confidant” on his LinkedIn profile, was with Prince Harry, 39, when he traveled to London in May to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. Harry founded the games as a sporting competition for active and retired military service members from around the world who are injured, wounded or ill.

Kettler, who holds a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State and an MBA from Clemson University, joined the duke at a special service held at St. Paul’s Cathedral to honor the anniversary. Although Harry’s uncle Earl Spencer was also in attendance, no members of the royal family attended.

Kettler also recently traveled with Harry on another overseas trip, a three-day tour of Nigeria in July, which Meghan also took part in. In a nod to her senior position, Kettler was with the prince when he met with government officials during the visit.

However, Meghan and Harry will not be able to count on Kettler to support them as they embark on their final trip to Colombia on Thursday. The couple are set to visit Bogota, Cartagena and Cali in what has been described as a “quasi-royal tour”, given that the Sussexes are no longer official emissaries of the British Royal Family.

It is not yet known why Kettler left his role. The Post has reached out to representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.

With his resignation, Kettler becomes the sixth member of staff to leave Meghan and Harry’s employ since they established their Archewell organisation in 2020, shortly after retiring as senior members of the firm.

That number does not include the recent departure of Invictus Games CEO, Prince Harry’s friend Reid, who left the non-profit after 10 years, saying it was “the right time”.

Speaking about the nature of these many departures, a former Archewell employee recently told the Daily Mail: “What may be most telling is that in the entire time I worked there, I don’t think I heard a single current or former member of staff say they would take the job again if given the chance.”

“‘These are not employees they just met on the street,’ they added. ‘Many of them are people who have previously excelled working for demanding bosses in high-performance companies and environments.’

It is unclear whether Prince Harry and Meghan will appoint an interim chief of staff as they prepare to travel to Colombia, no doubt facing busy itineraries.

The trip appears to be connected to Meghan and Harry’s work to promote safer digital environments, especially for young people. The first Global Ministerial Conference on the Elimination of Violence Against Children will take place in Colombia in November, and children’s digital safety will be on the agenda.

Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez, who invited the couple to the country, said the conference “will present a global framework for creating safer physical and virtual spaces, addressing issues such as cyberbullying, online exploitation and the impact of these threats on mental health.”

She added: “During the visit, The Duke and Duchess, as well as the Archewell Foundation, will be taking part in a range of activities relating to this important topic.”

One topic Montecito residents will likely want to avoid during their time in South America is Prince Harry’s past cocaine use. On Sunday, Aug. 10, a source who described himself as a “friend of Prince William” told The Daily Beast that while in Colombia, Harry should apologize for using cocaine, which the royal admitted to in his 2023 memoir, “Spare.”

“His trip to Colombia should include an admission that the country has been destroyed by narco-terrorists who cater to wealthy drug users in the West, and he should stand up and apologise for his own part in this disgusting trade,” the alleged friend of the Prince of Wales said. “That would be a useful intervention.”