MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry have made their exit official with an out-of-office message as their chief of staff gushed the couple want to “change lives”.
Earlier this week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex officially stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family – and the couple have now confirmed that their office is now “closed”.
The out-of-office message, seen by People, reads: “Many thanks for your email.
“The office for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has now closed.”
In January, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced they were stepping down as senior royals to carve out a “more progressive” role within the monarchy.
Last week, HOAR exclusively revealed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had set up permanent home in California after fleeing coronavirus lockdown in Canada.
After laying off 15 members of staff in January, the couple have now hired Catherine St-Laurent as their chief-of-staff to help set up their non-profit organisation.
Having previously worked for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Pivotal Ventures, Catherine shared a statement about her upcoming work with Harry and Meghan with Harper’s Bazaar.
She said: “From our very first conversation, Harry and Meghan have expressed a deep commitment to improving lives and having a positive impact on society.
“Their perspective on the role that empathy, connection, and compassion can play in that mission is both deeply personal and incredibly timely.”
Catherine said she was “delighted and honoured” to be working with the couple as they “embark on this journey of learning, listening, and inspiring all of us to act.”
She will also be executive director of Travalyst, an eco-friendly travel venture led by Harry to be set up as a non-profit organisation in the UK.
Issuing their own statement, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said: “We are proud to be joined by Catherine St-Laurent in this next chapter with us.
“Her leadership and proven track record working within two organizations that have tremendous impact in the world—the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Pivotal Ventures—make her an incredible asset and we are excited to have her on our team.”
The couple have yet to announce how their new non-profit organisation will work – except that it will support their “global charitable, campaign and philanthropic work”.
Earlier this week, the pair shared their last post on their SussexRoyal Instagram account after quitting the Royal Family.
Addressing their 11.3m followers, the couple wrote “Thank you to this community – for the support, the inspiration and the shared commitment to the good in the world” and signed off as “Harry & Meghan”.
Later this week, the elephant documentary Meghan has narrated will be available to stream on Disney+ – and the reviews are already in.
The Duchess of Sussex landed the Disney+ job after her husband was filmed suggesting her for a voiceover job at the Lion King premiere.
In more Royal Family news, Meghan Markle ‘always wanted full-on Hollywood lifestyle and will be excited to show off Prince Harry’, an insider has claimed.
And Kate Middleton has returned to a simpler style now she doesn’t have to ‘compete’ with Meghan Markle, an insider has said.
Plus ‘down-to-earth’ Meghan Markle wanted to be an ‘accessible people’s princess’, her hairdresser revealed.
