Harry and Meghan’s ‘revolving door’ of staff: The 14 employees the Sussexes have lost since 2018

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex lost their 14th staff member over the weekend.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s head of audio at Archewell, hired to produce the Duchess’ Archetypes Spotify podcast, has resigned after just 18 months, reports said last night.

But his apparent resignation is the latest in a series of departures this year alone, and 14 in the past four years.

MailOnline takes a look at the former employees of the Duke and Duchess who have left.

Rebeca Sananes – December 2022

Rebecca Sananes resigned as head of audio at Archewell after just 18 months in the role, according to the Daily Telegraph and US gossip website Page Six.

She was hired to produce Meghan’s Spotify podcast Archetypes in July 2021, but was replaced by media executive Serena Regan.

It has not yet been decided if a second series of Archetypes will be commissioned.

Mandana Dayani – December 2022

Mandana Dayani stepped down as chairwoman of Archewell, the couple’s media empire and charitable foundation, over the weekend.

A spokeswoman for Meghan and Harry said the couple would “take full leadership of their company”.

With her connections to the US media, the Iranian-born activist was considered one of the duke and duchess’s most important advisers. She has been at Archewell, where she oversaw daily operations, for less than 18 months.

In a statement, Ashley Hansen, Meghan and Harry’s global press secretary, said last night that Ms. Dayani “has been an integral part of Archewell and we are grateful for her passion, commitment and leadership.”

Toya Holness – May 2022

Toya Holness, who has a degree in strategic public relations from the University of Southern California, joined the Sussexes in October 2020 and was promoted to oversee their public relations on both sides of the Atlantic in March of last year.

She has previously been described as ‘Meghan’s shadow’ as she has often been seen wearing the same style of Hollywood power suits and sunglasses.

The former soccer player had been part of a small gang that spoke to Harry and Meghan every day, but is known to have parted ways with the couple, reports The Sunday Times.

It was said that he had “wanted to date” after finding out that he “had a lot of roles to fill for the couple”, inside sources claimed.

Catherine St Laurent – March 2021

The chief executive of Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation, Catherine St-Laurent, stepped down after just a year to take on a “senior advisor” role with the organization.

Ms. St-Laurent took over as Chief of Staff and CEO of the Sussexes non-profit company in April 2020.

The Canadian mother of two was said to be “the bright hope to lead her organization.”

Meghan and Harry’s head of UK PR, James Holt, was revealed to be taking on the role of director.

And, in a sign of the couple’s growing ventures across the pond, it was also announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have hired veteran producer Ben Browning to run their film and television company.

Natalie Campbell – June 2020

Natalie Campbell, a diversity activist, was the grand hire by Harry and Meghan to run their prized Sussex Royal charity.

She worked with Meghan on the cookbook Together, which shed light on Hubb Kitchen, a group that came together to prepare fresh meals after the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

Withdrawn from the Royal Foundation of the Dukes of Cambridge in August 2019, she worked for the Sussexes for less than a year before leaving to find a new job.

Sara Latham – March 2020

Sara Latham, a former communications director, was among a group of 15 employees who lost their jobs over Megxit.

She previously worked for Barack Obama and was hired when the Sussexes-Cambridge breakup occurred.

In his book Bomb Courtiers, Valentine Low writes: “On the back of [colleagues’] minds was the feeling that anyone leaving the Sussex team had better come up with a good excuse. Meghan didn’t like it if he thought it was her.

Clara Loughran – March 2020

The 33-year-old New Zealander first worked for the Cambridges, where she met her now-husband, public relations executive Nick Loughran.

She was given a key role as the Sussexes’ project manager, overseeing their charity projects and helping with their wedding plans. She lost her job when the couple left for a new life.

Samantha Cohen – October 2019

Cohen, the Queen’s deputy private secretary, planned to leave Buckingham Palace in 2018.

However, he agreed to stay on to help guide the Duchess of Sussex through her first few months in the royal family.

An Australian who joined the Palace press office in 2001, Cohen was respected in royal circles.

She left as the couple’s private secretary last year to work for the environmental charity Cool Earth.

Amy Pickerill – March 2019

Pickerill was suggested to become Meghan’s private secretary after Cohen before she unexpectedly stepped down as a key aide in May 2019.

The former Treasury press officer played a key role in Harry and Meghan’s tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga in October 2018, their first royal tour as a married couple.

Meghan described the loss of her deputy private secretary as “very sad” and sources insisted the split was amicable.

Jason Knauf and Christian Jones – March 2019

Senior communications secretaries Jason Knauf and Christian Jones went to work for the Cambridges.

Knauf was found to have lodged a formal complaint in October 2018 with Prince William’s private secretary, Simon Case, about harassment he said several family members had suffered.

The Sussexes have always vehemently denied the bullying allegations as a “calculated smear campaign”.

Female protection officer – January 2019

In January 2019, a royal protection officer also quit her job as Meghan’s main bodyguard.

The officer, who has not been named for security reasons, had been Meghan and Harry’s head of security for less than a year when he left office.

At the time, a Scotland Yard spokesperson said: “It is for personal reasons and absolutely nothing to do with the Duke or Duchess, who are very disappointed to lose her.”

Melissa Toubati – November 2018

Meghan’s personal assistant, Melissa Toubati, left after just six months and said she handed in her notice after the Duchess left her “in tears” with her demands. Meghan denies the claims.

Katrina McKeever – September 2018

Communications Undersecretary Katrina McKeever quietly walked out of the Kensington Palace press office in September 2018.

He had a key liaison role with Meghan’s family, including her father, Thomas Markle. In Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand say that McKeever “went off on a good note with the Sussexes”.