Staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

[Lyonnaise]

I thought it's been clearly said why these people have quit their job, each time. None of them were because of Meghan. Amy is moving overseas, Samantha quit even before she started to work for Meghan, but was convinced to stay longer. The protection officer quit the entire job. Only one with allegedly leaving because of Meghan is Melissa, and she seems to have been chatty with the tabloids, as they now know her next job too. It might explain why she isn't working for Meghan any more. Imo it's unfair to try to insinuate, that Meghan is the reason for these departures, when aside from Dailymail claims, that's just not the case. Jmo.

It has. There are just some people who refuse to people that someone can do something without Meghan being the cause.

But ~perception~ and ~optics~ and ~feelings~ and ~this happened to me once so it must be the case now~

 

[Countessmeout]

I'm really confused here. Who are the three key aides MEGHAN has lost? And from their departures,what makes it seem like the office isn't a happy one? If someone could direct me to anywhere where it's stated, I'd be really grateful.

Samantha Cohen-who always planned to leave, resigned before Meghan and Harry were engaged. She agreed to stay on longer to help Meghan out.

Amy: who is leaving to take a job abroad.

Melissa: who no one even had heard of before she left working for Meghan. And who seems to have been a new hire when she joined the staff (not someone who was transferred over to help Meghan).

The only one there is any suggestion it was due to Meghan, is Melissa. Both Samantha and Amy left for known reasons, and Amy has said she will remain close to Meghan.

Melissa leaving speaks more IMO to her then to Meghan. Her bad mouthing Meghan to the press speaks of someone who likely didn't leave the job on her own accord. She likely got the boot, and she is being spiteful.

Then again, all career moves are not geared to be "movin' on up... to the east side". Sometimes a move is made because its what makes a person happy with what they're doing. Perhaps being a weekend nanny allows her for to pursue other interests. I've heard of big city slicker lawyers moving to small town USA and becoming a furniture maker because that's what made him happy.

We just don't know.

Yes but those are usually people with the money to pursue 'a hobby as a career'. Worked long years as a lawyer, and now want to relax and open a bar, or build furniture or such. And even those are rare.

If this new job had been right away perhaps it could be believable. But it seems more like after her loose lips she had trouble finding a job and it took this long. Considering she was a PA for Robbie Williams before, her resume should have landed her another good job. Not so much.

...

 

[ACO]

I am still confused about Melissa who they keep branding as some close aid to Meghan who no one heard of until she "quit." I am still not sure when she ever worked for Meghan.

Samantha was always temp and has stayed on longer. Seems Amy got a great opportunity overseas and took it but is also staying on to make the transition smooth. We all know turnover is pretty common. They have announced in the past weeks the Wessexes and Princess Anne have new staff. Heck the Cambridges got new PS last year.

It is not uncommon.

 

[JessRulz]

A few posts have been removed. Let's try to keep to facts, not overt speculation on people who are now private persons; and cease with the judgment on said persons career choices.

 

[Lumutqueen]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1106258781858660358

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Queen has agreed to the creation of a new Household for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, following their marriage in May last year. The Household, which will be created with the support of The Queen and The Prince of Wales, will be established in the spring.

MORE: The Queen has given permission for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex to base their Household Office at Buckingham Palace... Sara Latham has been appointed to head up communications for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, reporting directly to The Queen’s Communication Secretary

https://twitter.com/x/status/1106259542814478336

However, Harry and Meghan's communications team will report to the Queen's Communications Secretary, Donal McCabe. KP comms staff had insisted they would continue to work for both the Cambridges and the Sussexes.


This puts them as the same as Anne, Andrew and the Wessexes as Cepe kindly tweeted;

https://twitter.com/x/status/1106264287331450884

So this is a division of the Kensington Palace household into one for the future Prince and Princess of Wales and one for the Sussexes that will be a subsidiary of the monarch’s office.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1106263542959951873

They won't however as some have been shouting for, get their own social media.

 

[Osipi]

This is what I've been expecting for some time now and I also believe the sole reason for it is because the full time royal roles for the Cambridges and the Sussexes are going in different directions.

For the longest time, while both men were still following their own paths (Army, SAR etc), it was easy to work things for WilliamandHarry as a joint entity. Both have married, started families and are taking on very different roles into the future. It is, to me, a necessity, that they each have their own household, their own staff and the move has been made.

Buckingham Palace is a very good choice to be based seeing as the staff of Harry and Meghan accountable to the Queen (or monarch) and rightfully so seeing as a lot of the future work they're going to take on is Commonwealth related.

 

[ACO]

This is great news. About time.

 

[soapstar]

Not surprising. The two couples have different roles in the BRF, so it's only natural for them to split households and for Harry and Meghan to go under the umbrella of BP.

They won't however as some have been shouting for, get their own social media.

So will the Royal Family account be the one handling their social media now?

 

[tommy100]

Not surprised by this. Always felt the Cambridge's as future Prince/Princess of Wales were going to need their own Household.
This move puts the Sussex's in same position as other working royals, their own household based at BP with communication staff reporting to the Queen's Communications Secretary.

 

[Pranter]

Harry & Meghan new PR guru, Sara Latham, worked for Bill Clinton in the White House in the late 1990s and she was an adviser on Hilary Clinton's failed 2016 US presidential campaign. She has dual US/UK citizenship.

She also has a UK political background - she worked for the late Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.

 

[soapstar]

The discussion about the Cambridge/Sussex Royal Foundation, has been moved to the Royal Foundation thread.

 

[Dman]

I can’t tell you how happy I am to see both the Sussex’s and Cambridge’s establishing their own separate official households. It’s even more exciting to see the Sussex’s office Household being based at Buckingham Palace and that their PR Sara Latham worked for the Obama’s and Clinton’s.

 

[Fijiro]

Is Sara Latham American-citizen?

 

[Lyonnaise]

She has dual UK/US citizenship and a very impressive resume.

 

[Pranter]

Is Sara Latham American-citizen?

Dual Citizenship UK/US

 

[Somebody]

She's ahead of Meghan in that regard

 

[Lemon Lyman]

Do you think we will see their events in the future engagements calendar from now on rather than the tweets a week or so before?

 

[JuliannaVictoria]

Do you think we will see their events in the future engagements calendar from now on rather than the tweets a week or so before?

I think so. I've been thinking this for weeks but didn't want to post anything. I was thinking that Meghan needed an American/British (dual citizen) to work with her. She needs someone who knows both extremes and I hope that H&M have found that in Sara. She also knows her stuff. This woman is formidable.

 

[Madame Verseau]

I'm glad the Sussexes are getting their own household but I am put off by the comm staff reporting directly to the queen's comm secy. It looks like reining Meghan and Harry in particularly for the People story and the baby shower. But having someone with American roots and familiar with the lay of the land in the UK is a boon for Meghan.

 

[Fijiro]

I'm also very happy for them. It is a good move. It is a natural progression of life; you grow up, you get married, you start a family, you move on to your own household.

.

 

[Osipi]

I'm glad the Sussexes are getting their own household but I am put off by the comm staff reporting directly to the queen's comm secy. It looks like reining Meghan and Harry in particularly for the People story and the baby shower. But having someone with American roots and familiar with the lay of the land in the UK is a boon for Meghan.

I see it a bit differently. As we've seen, one of the major focuses in Harry and Meghan's official royal roles are gearing towards the Commonwealth of Nations. As it is the Queen who is the Head of the Commonwealth of Nations (with it already been decided that Charles will follow her in that role at the last CHOGM), it makes sense to me that the Queen's staff and the Sussex staff will be in close communication and located at the same place in Buckingham Palace.

I don't believe that there's any behind the scenes personal motives for this move. Only logical ones. JMO

 

[DuchessMia]

ITA, Osipi. I think it has more to do with their roles within the Commonwealth than any reigning in. I also see it as a clear delineation from the Cambridges and KP, which unfortunately has had some blunders and ineptitude over the years.

 

[MARG]

I think HM and Charles are really nailing down all the things that, if not organised and done with time, thought and precision, would be an absolute disaster if the Queen died suddenly. With all this organised and everyone settled in and the kinks having been shaken out, HM will have left everything running like clockwork.

It makes sense that the move should take place now with Harry and Meghan moving to Frogmore Cottage. To be honest, I think this was originally timed back before Harry even announced his engagement. Back when Sir Christopher Geidt had his massive run-in with Charles and Andrew. There was a lot of talk about "centralising" the various offices and communications department, then there was the gossip about the blowup and Sir Christopher and Samantha both resigned.

But, HM prevailed upon Samantha to see Harry and Meghan married and established and I think she must really like them as she has stayed beyond the originally stated six months. Unfortunately, Amy is moving overseas and so has resigned but is understood to be staying until the move to Frogmore is complete. As to Melissa?

She may have ditched a duchess – but she certainly hasn’t dented her CV.

After walking out of her job as personal assistant to Meghan Markle (she stayed for just six months), Melissa Touabti has landed a job with one of the richest families in London.

Melissa, 39, has been snapped up by Natalie Livingstone, journalist wife of billionaire Richard Livingstone who owns super-posh stately home Cliveden House.

Melissa is to be weekend nanny for the couple and their three children at their £20million Notting Hill home.

Melissa has also worked for Robbie Williams and Madonna and a source tells me: ‘She is one of the best in the business, so it was little wonder that the Livingstones snapped her up.

'She was never going to be out of a job for long.’

It’s thought Melissa got to know property tycoon Richard when she organised Meghan’s pre-wedding stay at £500-a-night Cliveden before she married Harry in nearby Windsor.

I have to be honest and wonder if Melissa was only working out her notice/contract and had been effectively poached back when she was liaising with the Hotel regarding the wedding.

As to the split between William and Harry? I think they are both happy with the future but sad their lives are moving further apart. HM really forced the issue when she named Harry as President of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust and now Meghan as it's Vice President. When you think about it, Harry must have been "in training" so to speak when he met Meghan because she has taken such an interest in the Commonwealth and even attended the Commonwealth Day Service before her marriage. And then there is her wedding veil . . . . . I don't know about anyone else but, whatever else Meghan is, prescient isn't one of them.

So, Harry and Meghan are perfectly set to establish their new home and office and lifestyle. Lots to look forward to but a bit scary all round.

 

[Zaira]

This is fantastic news. Sara is phenomenal. I am honestly shocked that they got someone this big to lead their team. Excellent news!

 

[Humbugged]

She's ahead of Meghan in that regard

She would be wouldn't she .She is following the same rules for her citizenship as everyone else that has married a UK spouse .

 

[Iluvbertie]

This is clearly positioning Harry as the same level as Andrew, Edward and Anne - royals whose staff report directly to the Queen's staff while William has an independant office that reports only to him. Charles' staff only report to him.

This is showing the way forward with the two future Kings with independent households while the alsorans are all lumped together under the Queen's staff.

 

[Marlo]

This is clearly positioning Harry as the same level as Andrew, Edward and Anne - royals whose staff report directly to the Queen's staff while William has an independant office that reports only to him. Charles' staff only report to him.

This is showing the way forward with the two future Kings with independent households while the alsorans are all lumped together under the Queen's staff.

I don't think anyone cares if Harry is on the same level as Andrew, Edward, and Anne. Harry and Meghan will create an entirely new office of communications staff and courtiers at Buckingham Palace.

I don't think Andrew, Edward, and Anne have their own communications staff and courtiers. Am I correct?

Inside Harry and Meghan’s Split from William and Kate to Start Their Own Royal Household

“There had been talk about Harry and Meghan’s team moving to Windsor and having an office there but it wasn’t doable,” a source tells BAZAAR.com

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celeb...arry-splitting-prince-william-kate-middleton/

 

[Countessmeout]

Great news. So surprise. With William's future role, it had to happen eventually and makes sense it happens sooner then later. They will still be connected by the foundation, but this covers their other roles and charities.

It seems Harry and Meghan are being geared more towards a commonwealth role. I suspect they will spend more time abroad. It makes sense to have their own office established at this time.

I don't find it surprising their press office answers to the queen's director. It may change down the line. Its a new office and new staff. There may not be an obvious person like Jason to run it. We may see in the next few years, they having their own head of staff, and not answer to the queen's/Charles'.

Both couples have chosen people with top resumes to head their fields. Not only politics, but Sara is the outgoing managing partner of Freuds, where she worked previously before her own firm.

 

[Osipi]

Inside Harry and Meghan’s Split from William and Kate to Start Their Own Royal Household

“There had been talk about Harry and Meghan’s team moving to Windsor and having an office there but it wasn’t doable,” a source tells BAZAAR.com

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celeb...arry-splitting-prince-william-kate-middleton/

I seriously doubt Harper's Bazaar is actually a good source to go to for information on the royal households.

Of course it wouldn't be doable. Its much easier for communication for it to be housed at Buckingham Palace which is in London where its much easier for staff to commute to work. None of the BRF have their official offices and staff outside of London. Its just common sense.

With the way H&M's household will be set up, they're right there and it'll be easy for the Queen's staff and the Sussex staff to communicate. It makes sense to me seeing as it looks very much like H&M are gearing up to do a lot of work involving the Commonwealth of which the Queen, herself, is the head of.

So, the reality is that this is a non-story.

 

[Pranter]

Osipi normally I might agree about HB but the article was written by Omid Scobee and he's generally pretty accurate.


LaRae