Tabloids launched a scathing attack on Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, just a few weeks after the news broke that Josh Kettler, the Chief of Staff for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, decided to leave his position after only three months. It was claimed that a dozen of the couple's former and current employees disclosed why they are unable to retain staff. One of the employees referred to Meghan as "a dictator in high heels."
"Everyone's terrified of Meghan," an unnamed source close to the couple told the The Hollywood Reporter. "She belittles people, she doesn't take advice. They're both poor decision-makers, they change their minds frequently. Harry is a very, very charming person no airs at all but he's very much an enabler. And she's just terrible."
It is believed that 18 senior staff have left their jobs since the royal wedding and there have been at least nine senior employees who have left their positions with the couple since they moved to the United States in 2020. As the "Sussex Survivors Club" is what they refer to themselves, Josh is simply the most recent of many employees to join the group.
It was Toys Holness, who served as their global press secretary until 2022, and Christine Weil Schirmer, who had previously served as Pinterest's communications director but resigned from her position as head of public relations in 2021, who came before Josh. Samantha Cohen, Meghan's main aide and private secretary, left her position with the royal family in the same year, after being with them for almost twenty years.
Sources alleged that she felt like she was "working for a couple of teenagers" and that she was "screamed at" by the pair before they embarked on their first official royal tour. In addition, Josh "wasn't comfortable" with his role, and it was mutually agreed upon that he would terminate his work with the couple.
In the meantime, The Hollywood Reporter asserted that Meghan, who was mercilessly called "Duchess Difficult" and "Me-Gain" by royal aides due to her propensity for throwing tantrums and writing emails at five in the morning, is the one who is most difficult to work with.
"She marches around like a dictator in high heels, fuming and barking orders. I've watched her reduce grown men to tears," an informant suggested.
It is not the first time that Meghan's work ethic has been questioned; in fact, it comes as no surprise. Valentine Low, a reporter for the royal family, broke the shocking news in March 2021 that Meghan had been the subject of a formal bullying complaint in 2018. The outcomes of the case were never made public.
The pair stated that they were "saddened by this latest attack on her [Meghan's] character" and promptly refuted the charges that were made. The news came just a few days before they were scheduled to give their shocking interview to Oprah Winfrey. As of this moment, representatives for Meghan and Prince Harry have chosen not to comment.
