CATHERINE St-Laurent was the director of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell foundation.
She took on the role in April 2020 but left after just one year. Here is what we know about her and why she resigned.
Who is Catherine St-Laurent?
Catherine St-Laurent has an impressive CV, most recently holding the role of director at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell foundation.
Before that she worked with Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Gates for five years.
But she’s know the family for much longer, and was previously involved in communications for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for seven years.
Previously, Ms St-Laurent was based in London and Brussels where she worked for HSBC and Vero Communications.
She was involved in international sporting campaigns for Vero, including both Rio and PyeongChang’s Olympic Games bids.
She joined the Archewell charity after Meghan and Harry laid off 15 members of staff in January 2020.
In a statement last year, 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.”
She was also appointed executive director of Travalyst, an eco-friendly travel venture led by Harry to be set up as a non-profit organisation in the UK.
Her LinkedIn profile says he is based in Seattle, Washington, United States, and attended Canadian Concordia University and McGill University, both in Montreal, Quebec.
Why has Catherine St-Laurent resigned as Director of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell foundation?
Ms St-Laurent took on the role of director at Archewell in April 2020 but left after just one year.
There has not yet been a statement on why she no longer works for Harry and Meghan, but rumours abound that James Holt, their UK rep, is coming to the US.
Despite leaving Archewell, multilingual Ms St-Laurent’s Linkedin page still reads: “I am currently acting as Chief of Staff to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex as well as Executive Director of their non-profit, Archewell Foundation.”
At the time of Ms St-Laurent’s appointment last year, Meghan and Harry 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 organisations that have tremendous impact in the world – the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Pivotal Ventures – make her an incredible asset and we’re excited to have her on our team.”
The news of her departure emerged just weeks after the Duchess of Sussex was accused of bullying palace staff in an email from her former press secretary which was sent in October 2018 and later leaked to The Times.
