The real reason Meghan Markle's staff are quitting

Meghan and Harry at Canada House [Photo: Getty]
Meghan and Harry at Canada House [Photo: Getty]

Speculation has been rife after news broke of Meghan Markle losing her fourth aide in less than a year last week, but the reasons behind the seeming mass-exodus might be far more simple than we thought.

Meghan’s assistant private secretary Amy Pickerill, had been in the role for less than a year when rumours began to circle about her impending resignation.

It’s the fourth resignation between Harry and Meghan in less than a year, with Meghan’s bodyguard quitting in January, just a month after she lost her private secretary Samantha Cohen, while Harry lost his ‘right hand man’ Edward Lane Fox, just before the couple’s May wedding.

While the former-actress has since been dogged by whispers of her ‘difficult’ nature, with many wondering if there’s more to the story, or she’s simply a terrible boss, according to one royal expert there’s far more at play than the duchess’ personality.

READ MORE: Fans notice Meghan didn’t wear engagement ring on Commonwealth Day

The latest loss is the Duchess’ assistant private secretaryAmy Pickerill Photo: Getty Images
The latest loss is the Duchess’ assistant private secretaryAmy Pickerill Photo: Getty Images

Dickie Arbiter is a royal expert having worked both as Press Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II and media manager to Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

The former staffer says it is the intense nature of the job rather than the personalities of the royals that is behind the seemingly-high turnover.

“I’d (had) job with them for five years. Any longer and I would’ve been burnt out,” the expert revealed to Global News.

Dickie explained that the proximity of the staffers resignation has a simple explanation: “By outward appearances, it has been a bit of a ‘revolving door,’ (but) it just so happens with the Cambridge and Sussex households employees started around the same time.”

It seems he has a point. Early last year both William and Harry lost their private secretaries within a few months of each other, however the men had been in their roles for five and six years respectively.

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The resignations are just part of a demanding job, says a royal expert Photo: Getty Images
The resignations are just part of a demanding job, says a royal expert Photo: Getty Images

Arbiter also revealed that hiring royal aides differed from house to house, and warned there was no ‘normal’ when it comes to employing royal aides, so the number or longevity of staff hired is not comparable between households.

“A lot depends on work structure. The Queen has three (aides), all overlap so as to provide 24-hour cover,” Arbiter said.

“Further down the line there are less staff, but each household employs by choice.”

He added that another probable reason behind the aides resignation was the oldest reason in the book: money.

“We work to earn good money and the private sector is a lot more lucrative,” he said.

Meanwhile Meghan and Harry are expecting their first child in just over a month, let’s hope they have some staff left by the time the baby arrives.

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