If there’s a WhatsApp group for Harry and Meghan ’s staff leavers from the last few years (Sussex survivors? Megxit 2.0?), it might just have welcomed a new member.
The latest aide to quit the Sussex squad after just a matter of months? Their chief of staff Josh Kettler , a seasoned PR guru who joined the Duke and Duchess just before their three-day trip to Nigeria in May — and quit this week, just three months into the job and days before their upcoming tour of Colombia.
Why exactly Kettler left is currently the subject of speculation (did ‘ Duchess Difficult ’ prove too challenging? Did Kettler always plan to leave? The Sussexes have claimed that Kettler was only ever hired on a trial basis), but he joins a long line of former staffers departing team Sussex under mysterious circumstances.
At least 18 employees have left the job since the couple married in 2018, nine of them leaving since they started assembling their Hollywood dream team during the ‘Megxit’ move to California in 2020 — an average of three a year. Iranian-born lawyer-turned-businesswoman Mandana Dayani, TV hotshot Bennett Levine and award-winning Hollywood producer Ben Browning , the brains behind Emerald Fennell’s Oscar-nominated film Promising Young Woman, have been among the “revolving door” of staff to quit in the last 18 months. Could this be the reason the duchess has struggled to find a CEO for her new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard so far?
“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,” one recently revealed. "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."
So just how demanding were the Sussexes, exactly? That depends who you ask. While the Sussexes have claimed that “both sides agreed [Kettler] wasn’t the right fit”, reports are increasingly suggesting that Meghan in particular can be a challenging boss, with accusations that this led to two PAs leaving Kensington Palace and ‘Duchess Difficult’ rumours swirling every time a staffer has quit since.
From the hot-shot TV mastermind to the podcaster who once interviewed Hilary Clinton, these are some of the latest execs to make their own Megxit and quit the Sussex’s ever-shrinking Hollywood dream team.
Josh Kettler
Role: Chief-of-staff
USP: Seasoned public relations professional who has become one of the Sussexes’ shortest-serving staffers so far
Background: The PR guru previously worked as chief of staff and head of strategic partnerships at the comms platform Cognixion, as well as another role for outdoor clothing brand Patagonia
Quit : August 2024
Time working for the Sussexes: Three months
The official word is that Kettler’s decision to leave was “mutual” and that he was hired on a trial basis, with “both sides agreeing it wasn’t the right fit”. But insiders have questioned that wording, calling it “insulting” after reports spoke of Kettler’s importance to Prince Harry when he was hired just a few months ago in May.
The experienced PR guru was reportedly hired to “guide [Harry] through his next phase” earlier this year. He was first seen accompanying the couple on their three-day trip to Nigeria in May — and last seen that same month, accompanying Harry to a 10th anniversary service for the Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
He had been based in Santa Barbara, round the corner from the Sussexes’ Montecito home, and was due to accompany them on their royal-style tour of Colombia in just a few days, raising questions over how they’ll make it work logistically. Reports say the trip is still going ahead without him.
Bennett Levine
Role: Manager at Archewell
USP: Young TV industry hot-shot behind the Sussexes’ Netflix documentary
Background: Levine’s CV features stints at Sony Pictures Entertainment and FilmNation Entertainment, having started his career as an analyst for a research company
Quit : January 2024
Time working for the Sussexes: Two years
Levine quit in January, the same month as his boss Ben Browning and just days after reports that the duke and duchess were not interested in extending their contract with Netflix, ending the possibility of a new season of their Harry & Meghan documentary. “It’s a blow to the company,” said a source after his resignation. “There’s no doubt about that.”
The film and TV expert — considered a hotshot in the industry — started as a coordinator for Archewell in 2021 and was promoted to manager in June 2022, lasting one year and eight months in his new role before leaving.
According to LinkedIn, the business graduate is still based in Los Angeles and now works as a tracking executive for Cinetic Media, a talent management company for the entertainment industry based in New York. “I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position at Cinetic Media,” he wrote on the platform earlier this year.
Ben Browning
Role: Head of Content for Archewell Productions and Archewell Audio
USP : Veteran film and TV producer behind current Oscar nominee Promising Young Woman, who played an “integral” part in the couple’s Netflix docu-series Harry & Meghan
Background : Browning was no stranger to working with big names when he joined the Sussex squad. The award-winning British producer was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and PGA Award in 2021 for his work producing Emerald Fennell’s new film Promising Young Woman , starring Carey Mulligan. His work also included the HBO limited series I Know This Much Is True starring Mark Ruffalo
Quit : January 2023
Time working for the Sussexes : Two years
Browning quit ahead of Levine, and just a month after the exit of Rebecca Sananès, head of the couple’s podcast company. He had overseen the duke and duchess’ now-notorious Netflix docu-series Harry & Meghan, as well as their less successful Netflix series Live to Lead, about world leaders. “From the moment they shared their vision for Archewell as a global production company that will spotlight diverse voices and share uplifting stories, I knew I wanted to help with this unique opportunity,” Browning said when he was hired in early 2021, after reportedly being recommended for the role by a mutual contact. “It’s a thrilling company to be starting.”
The King’s School Canterbury alumni left last January, the same month as the documentary’s marketing campaign lead Fara Taylor, his with reports stating that Browning’s deal with the Sussexes was always set to expire. “Ben and Fara have been integral to the creation and execution of many critically and commercially acclaimed projects during their tenure,” the Sussexes’ global press secretary said in a statement. “They have expertly delivered content and campaigns that have exceeded expectations and made their mark within the cultural zeitgeist.”
Browning went onto return to his old firm FilmNation Entertainment — the producer behind the likes of Promising Young Woman — as President of Production.
Fara Taylor
Role: Marketing executive for Archewell
USP : Former Paramount Pictures and Sony exec hired to help with promo for their Netflix documentary and Harry’s memoir Spare
Background : Taylor’s CV included stints at Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation, working for franchises such as Spiderman and James Bond before she joined the Sussex squad. She is a founding member of nonprofit organisation I am a voter, and began her career at consulting firm Accenture
Quit : January 2023
Time working for the Sussexes : 18 months
Taylor led Archewell's marketing team, overseeing the marketing strategy for the couple’s Netflix documentary as well as Harry’s memoir, Spare.
She opted to leave the firm in January 2023, the same month as Browning, with reports stating that the Sussexes were planning to “streamline the company's marketing arm”.
According to LinkedIn, Taylor now works as Head of Brand for California entertainment provider Wild State, while Archewell’s head of communication Ashley Hansen went onto lead the marketing team after her departure.
Rebecca Sananès
Role : Head of Audio at Archewell
USP : Content creator and journalist who previously produced a podcast for New York Magazine
Background : Attention turned to Sananès and her previous role ever since Meghan’s bombshell interview with The Cut in 2022
Quit : December 2022
Time working for the Sussexes : 18 months
Sananès quit as head of audio after just 18 months at the company. She’d been hired to produce Meghan’s Spotify podcast, Archetypes, which she described as “the most scrutinized woman in the world talk[ing] about the labels all women deal with”, having previously worked as lead podcast producer of Pivot, a series by Vox Media and New York Magazine, publisher of The Cut.
At the time of her hire, insiders wondered whether she could have pulled strings to help put her new boss on the cover. The LA-based journalist and audio expert worked in public radio before joining Pivot, which will no doubt have proved useful in her role for the Sussexes.
“Watching #Archetypes soar to the number #1 podcast in the world and the outpouring of connection, kindness and support has been beyond my biggest dreams,” Sananès wrote on Instagram soon into the job alongside a picture of herself in front of an Archetypes billboard in New York’s Times Square. “This is what women do together. Thank you to our team, our listeners and the special people around me.”
She left the job less than half a year later.
Mandana Dayani
Role : President of Archewell
USP : Podcaster, entrepreneur and angel investor who once interviewed Hilary Clinton and recently attended Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz’ wedding
Background : The lawyer-turned-businesswoman was hired as Harry and Meghan’s new president in June 2021. Like Taylor, she was a founding member of the organisation I am a voter, and had worked at the fashion and media company Rachel Zoe
Quit : December 2022
Time working for the Sussexes : 18 months
Dayani quit as the president of Archewell the same month as Sananès and just days before the official release of the Harry & Meghan Netflix documentary, after a year and a half working at the company. She’d been one of the couple’s most prominent hires and important advisors, brought onto run their media empire and charitable foundation.
As an attorney, activist and tech adviser with experience in fashion, media and podcasts, she was well suited to the Sussex brand: her CV included stints as vice president at the fashion and media company Rachel Zoe and being the founder of voter participation organisation I Am A Voter and female-centred event series The Learning Series — impressive accolades even aside from the fact that she arrived in the US as a refugee after fleeing Iran with her family.
The former New Yorker, who is married to TV producer Peter Traugott, was no stranger to mixing with A-listers before she met Meghan. Her Instagram followers include actress Jennifer Aniston, author Glennon Doyle and poet Amanda Gorman and in 2022 she posted a series of Instagram pictures from Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz’ star-studded Florida wedding. Other career highs include the time she interviewed Hillary Clinton alongside fellow podcast host and Will & Grace actress Debra Messing, which undoubtedly stood her in good stead for advising Meghan on her Archewell podcasts.
“So grateful everyone gets to finally hear again from the kind, brilliant, compassionate leader I get to work with every day,” she wrote on Instagram when she announced Meghan’s new Archetypes podcast. Clearly, she was a big fan of her boss at the time.
What happened next is unknown, but in a statement about her exit, Archewell said: "Ms Deyani was brought on during their parental leave to move the company and its projects forward. She has continued to shape its vision and future successfully. Her transition was mutually planned, with intent for The Duke and Duchess to now take full lead of their company.” It added that, “There will be no replacement for this position, and Ms Deyani is fully supportive of the Duke and Duchess in their leadership roles, and they remain friends.”
The Iranian-born activist later changed her Linkedin profile to “President, Archewell, Full-time Jun 2021 – Dec 2022, 1 yr 7 months” to reflect the exit. She currently works as an activist and speaker, giving regular talks on subjects such as leadership and antisemitism, and runs a podcast with the actress Debra Messing.
Toya Holness
Role : Press secretary
USP : Ex-footballer with a background in storytelling
Background : Holness previously worked for New York’s education department as well as a job in corporate communications and marketing for a video company in LA
Quit : May 2022
Time working for the Sussexes : 18 months
When Holness joined the Sussexes in October 2020, she was described as Meghan’s “shadow”, often spotted wearing similar power suits and sunglasses to the duchess. She would speak to Harry and Meghan daily and was promoted to oversee their PR from both sides of the Atlantic in 2021.
“I get to help people tell their stories for a living,” she wrote in the bio for her private Twitter account when she was hired. Her private Instagram account had more than 800 followers with a bio reading: “And in this moment, I swear we are infinite” with emojis of a key, anchor and four-leaf clover.
She parted ways with the couple in the spring of 2022, with insiders claiming she “wanted out” after finding herself “having to fulfil a great many functions for the couple”.
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