Meghan Markle Is Losing A Second Aide As ‘Difficult Duchess’ Rumors Swirl

Sure, it might be a coincidence, but a second Meghan Markle aide has given her notice and will leave the employ of the royal family after baby Sussex is born. Last weekend, it was announced that Duchess Meghan’s personal assistant, Melissa Touabti had quit, and now Samantha Cohen, a favorite of Queen Elizabeth, has announced that she is leaving too.

The Daily Mail explains that the personal secretary for Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, Samantha Cohen (known around the palace as “Samantha the Panther”), has given her notice and will leave the royal family after 17 years of service.

Cohen signed on over the summer to work for the Sussexes after Edward Lane Fox resigned this summer following five years of service. Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry reportedly asked Ms. Cohen, an Australian native, to stay on, but she has now decided to depart in the spring.

Sources close to the Duchess of Sussex say that Markle will miss Cohen when she leaves.

“Sam will be a huge loss. Going forward, Meghan might need someone cut from a slightly different cloth to traditional courtiers, who is not a career civil servant or royal insider.”

Sources suggest that going forward, the person who replaces Cohen has to be adaptable to Duchess Meghan’s schedule and patient with change. Markle is known to rise for 4:30 a.m. yoga after sending some early morning notes and email messages to her staff.

Have the tides turned against Meghan for good? https://t.co/ibr7KZgd0Y

— OK! Magazine USA (@OKMagazine) December 9, 2018

Samantha Cohen has long been a favorite of the royal family and was the first woman to ever hold the position of press secretary. In 2016, Cohen was given the honor of Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen.

Cohen’s absence will be felt even more after the recent departure of personal assistant Melissa Touabti, who resigned last week from the employ of Meghan Markle, per the Inquisitr. Sources claim that Touabti departed because the pressure just became too much for the 39-year-old, who was said to be liked by everyone.

“Her job was highly ­pressurised and in the end, it became too much. She put up with quite a lot. Meghan put a lot of demands on her and it ended up with her in tears. She is hugely talented and played a pivotal role in the success of the royal wedding. She’ll be missed by everyone in the household.”

Sources say that Touabti has worked for celebrities before and she came with excellent references, but that she reached her “breaking point” with Markle after six months.

“Melissa is a total professional and fantastic at her job, but things came to a head and it was easier for them both to go their separate ways.”