Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's All-Female Team Is a First for the Royal Family

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have just hired a female private secretary and trustee of the Sussex Royal Foundation—making them the latest in a long line of female hires for the Sussexes.

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The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Morocco
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have just hired a female private secretary and trustee of the Sussex Royal Foundation—making them the latest in a long line of female hires for the Sussexes. According to HELLO!, this is apparently a first, to have such a female-led team (I don't believe that every single staff member is female; I think we're talking about women in prominent, senior staff-level positions). And to read their resumés, they're all total badasses—I just spent a few minutes envisioning what it would look like to work under and learn from all these amazing ladies.

Here's just a few members of the Meghan-Harry "dream team":

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  • Fiona Mcilwham (private secretary), former British ambassador to Albania: "Fiona reportedly won over palace officials and the couple themselves, who had hoped to hire a joint private secretary from within the royal household roster."
  • Karen Blackett (first trustee of the Sussex Royal Foundation), chairwoman of media agency MediaCom UK: "Karen was also named number one in the 2015 Powerlist of the 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the UK."
  • Sara Latham (head of communications), former special advisor. "She was a former senior advisor on Hillary Clinton's 2016 electoral campaign and a special advisor to the Labour politician [Tessa Jowell]."
  • Julie Burley (head of communications, Invictus Games): "[She] has worked as head of communications for Prince Harry's Invictus Games since March 2014."
  • Clara Madden (projects manager): "She was tasked with making sure planning ahead of the royal wedding went smoothly, from the couple's first public engagement to the big day itself." She was even the person to do the bouquet handoff!
  • Natalie Campbell (a foundation director): "Natalie, who parted ways with Prince William and Kate to take on her new role, is said to have formed a close bond with Meghan after working together on her Grenfell charity community cookbook."
  • Heather Wong (Harry's deputy private secretary), said to be leaving.
  • Nanny (name TBD), pictured for the first time in August.

You can see photos of the staffers here, but they usually hang out in the background while the focus is on Harry and Meghan. Considering how insanely busy the pair is, staffers absolutely have their work cut our for them (in a good way).

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I can't wait to see what they do in the upcoming months.

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Katherine J. Igoe
Katherine J. Igoe
Contributing Editor

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award. 

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.