(NewsNation) — A close adviser to Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, will step down from his role as the charity’s chief executive.
James Holt, who has run the Duke and Duchess’s Archewell Foundation (now Philanthropies), has quit his job to move back to London with his husband and child, according to The Daily Mail.
Holt, whom the Daily Mail described as a “rock” for Meghan and Harry through their exits as working royals and Harry’s book “Spare,” had been running Archewell since 2021.
He reportedly began working for Harry in 2017, when he was a publicist for the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry.
James Holt leaves as Archewell staff laid off
His departure comes at a time when Prince Harry and Meghan confirmed last week they had to let some staff go as they restructure and rename their Archewell Foundation to Archewell Philanthropies.
“The move toward a fiscal sponsor operating model does mean that some staff redundancies are inevitable, particularly with junior admin roles,” the couple told People magazine in a statement.
Three members of the staff were let go from Meghan and Harry’s charitable organization, which added they were told they were laid off “because the charity was closing,” the Daily Mail reported.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed Dec. 19 that the organization isn’t closing but is being restructured as Archewell Philanthropies to better align with their future charitable goals.
“This next chapter allows Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to broaden their global philanthropic efforts as a family, with meaningful reach and maximum impact, grounded in the same values, partnerships, and their commitment to show up and do good,” the official announcement reads.