RICHARD EDEN: The real reason Harry and Meghan have just lost their 18th member of staff… according to my source

My first suspicion that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would have trouble retaining staff came in 2018, when I received a tip that Meghan’s personal assistant, Melissa Toubati, had suddenly quit. This came just six months after the American actress married a member of the royal family.

“It’s a real shock,” a source told me at the time. “Why would she want to leave such a prestigious job so quickly?”

Officials typically refuse to discuss personnel matters, so I was surprised when a senior palace source chose to pay tribute to her publicly. “Melissa is an enormously talented person,” the source said. “She played a crucial role in the success of the royal wedding and will be missed by everyone in the royal household.”

Meghan’s personal assistant Melissa Toubati suddenly resigned, just six months after the American actress married a member of the royal family

The fact that someone paid such a grand tribute indicated that Melissa’s colleagues were not happy with her departure.

The fact that she left so quickly raised questions about the reasons for her departure.

It later emerged that Jason Knauf, the couple’s communications secretary, had written a letter to Simon Case, Prince William’s private secretary, in 2018, in which he said: ‘I am deeply concerned that the Duchess has been able to bully two PAs out of the household over the past year. The treatment of X has been completely unacceptable.’

He added: ‘The Duchess seems hell-bent on targeting someone. She is bullying Y and trying to undermine her self-confidence. 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 Prince Harry and Meghan’s staff in the years that followed.

It’s hard to keep track, but the total number of employees the Sussexes have lost since their marriage in 2018 is estimated to be at least 18. Since they moved to California two years later after stepping down from royal duties, nine or more have left.

The Sussexes’ staff retention problem was made even clearer this week when I revealed on Monday night that Harry’s impressively titled chief of staff Josh Kettler had suddenly resigned after just three months in the job, causing much intrigue.

When Kettler was appointed, he was described as the perfect man to guide King Charles’ youngest son ‘through his next phase’.

While 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 make their stance known in the past – that Kettler had been hired “on a trial basis”. The source claimed that “the decision to part ways was mutual, with both parties agreeing it was not the right fit”.

I’m old enough to remember Harry and Meghan declaring that they would not indulge in anonymous briefings, which, they claimed, were the kind of sinister Palace methods that had no place in their modern household. How times change.

The anonymous briefing given to People magazine seems rather disingenuous. Kettler’s appointment was no more a “trial period” than any other appointment. I find the idea that they would fill a key position in such a way absurd.

The significance of Kettler’s role was clear to journalists covering Harry and Meghan’s “quasi-royal tour” of Nigeria in May. He was seen at the duke’s side throughout.

Earlier, he was in London with Harry at the memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.

I also 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 told me: ‘Josh quickly realised the job wasn’t for him. There were aspects of it that he wasn’t comfortable with. He thought it was better to leave now than continue in a job he didn’t enjoy.’

The source is too diplomatic to say, but was it the case that the chief of staff discovered that there was only one boss in the Montecito household – and it wasn’t him?

The timing of Kettler’s departure could not have been more unfortunate, given that he was heavily involved in organising the couple’s “quasi-royal tour” of Colombia, which begins today.

He now joins the growing ranks of the “Sussex Survivors Squad,” the gallows-humorous moniker former aides have given themselves. The most wounded members of that “squad” were those who accused Meghan of bullying when she was a working member of the royal family.

Josh Kettler has stepped down as Prince Harry’s chief of staff after just three months in the job amid much intrigue

Prince Harry Meghan at an awards ceremony in Hollywood last month. The Duchess has always strongly denied any bullying

Palace officials admitted in 2022 that a report into bullying allegations by the duchess had been effectively buried. They said the findings would never be made public. Even those who took part in the investigation were not told what the outcome was.

Officials would only confirm that their investigation had been completed and that “recommendations on our policies and procedures” had been adopted.

Aides announced in 2021 that they would launch an investigation into claims that Meghan’s “derogatory” behaviour as a working royal had caused two female personal assistants to leave the household and “undermined the trust” of a third.

Staff were said to be in tears and feeling “traumatised”, with some comparing their condition to post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Royal Family has hired an outside law firm to investigate the claims, with some predicting the move could increase tensions between Harry and Meghan and ‘the institution’.

The duchess has always strongly denied the allegations, with her lawyers calling them a “calculated smear campaign” at the time.

A spokesman added: “The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as a person who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to helping those who have experienced pain and trauma.”

If Harry and Meghan want to ensure they don’t have any recruitment issues in the future, shouldn’t they urge the palace to publish the report?

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