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Meghan Markle seems to be taking a different path to maintain her status despite being labelled a “flop” in Hollywood.

The couple have been ferociously trying to carve out their lives in California having hopped the pond and dropping Prince Harry’s family and their royal duties. But they seem to have eaten a whole lot of dust in the process, even being called ‘grifters’ when Spotify parted ways with the couple after an unsuccessful partnered content-creation stint.

Despite all these setbacks, Meghan is still trying, shifting her focus onto developing her own lifestyle brand called American Riviera Orchard – which hasn’t exactly been a raging success either.

There was also the matter of the Sussexes chief of staff stepping down after just three months. Josh Kettler joined team Sussex a week before Harry and Meghan’s trip to Nigeria in May and then left his position shortly afterwards, in what was reportedly a mutual decision, with both sides agreeing ‘it wasn’t the right fit,’ according to People magazine.

Although Kettler was only hired on a trial basis, his departure highlights the problems the couple have long had when it comes to attracting and keeping their employees, The Tatler notes.

The Sussexes’ last known chief of staff was Cathering St-Laurent, who formerly worked as an adviser to another high-profile couple: Bill and Melinda Gates. She joined the Sussexes’ foundation, Archewell, in April 2020, but left after a year, despite giving up her role with the Gates family in order to take on the post.

James Holt, the duke and duchess’ former communications director, is currently the executive director of Archewell.

There have been other senior members of Harry and Meghan’s team who have walked away from their seemingly starry jobs. During their time as working royals, Meghan was reportedly branded ‘Duchess Difficult’ for the way she treated her staff. The couple deny the claims but Meghan was privately accused of bullying two personal assistants at Kensington Palace, and of making life tough for Samantha Cohen, her most senior aide.

Other staff departures continue to occur at awkward times, including Rebecca Sananes, who was made head of audio at Archewell in July 2021 only to walk away after 18 months, while Mandana Dayani, who ran the foundation for less than a year and a half, left in December 2022.

Overall, the Sussexes are up to a reported 18 staff departures over six years, or an average of three a year.

The timing of Kettler’s departure will no doubt be a blow to the duke and duchess, who will kick off their four-day tour of Colombia later this week

About that, GB News presenter Eamonn Holmes claimed Meghan might be using her upcoming trip to the South American country solely to repair her image and promote her professional goals as an influencer, OK! Mag reported.

“She wants people to respect her and what she does, but I can’t think of a single thing that she could talk about that would make someone influenced,” Holmes added.

OK! previously reported Tom Quinn discussing how travelling abroad to Africa might have been a good way for the Sussexes to get back into the spotlight.

“Of course, with Meghan’s well-publicized determination to be seen as a role model, a champion of the poor and marginalized and of women, a trip to Nigeria was a godsend,” Quinn told an outlet. “She was able to meet women’s leadership groups and to make speeches about how pleased she was to discover that she is 43 percent Nigerian.”

“The problem as ever with Meghan is that the trip became less and less about Nigeria and its difficulties and more and more about Meghan,” the commentator continued. “Much of what Meghan said about being herself 43 percent Nigerian and about how proud she was to be a role model, sounded like humble bragging.”

During her time in West Africa, the former actress received widespread acclaim for her passionate advocacy for gender rights. Yet, Quinn can’t help but question whether her tumultuous and public fallout with Thomas Markle might dampen her ability to inspire and connect with her supporters.

“It’s difficult to see what kind of role model she might be given that her own family is deeply dysfunctional – her relationship with her father and sister has completely broken down and she has no contact at all with her husband’s family,” Quinn stated. “Does Meghan mean she wants to be a role model who shows people how to become rich and famous?”

According to Quinn, Meghan was “making herself the focus” and “wants to be praised and admired for her work so the focus shifts from the good causes she espouses to her”.

This poor girl cannot win, can she?

[source:okmag]