Meghan Markle and Prince Harry issued a gushing statement after PR guru James Holt quit their charity.

James, who appeared in the bombshell Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, stepped down yesterday, stressing it had been a "great privilege" to work with the couple. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex praised the PR professional in their statement to the media, issued in response to the shock departure.

In full, Meghan and Harry's tribute reads: "James has been a stellar support for us for nearly ten years . . . As James moves his young family back to the UK, we are proud that he will continue to guide various humanitarian trips for us overseas through Archewell Philanthropies."

But both parties are yet to disclose the reason for James' exit, ending his long-standing link with the the charity. He ran the charity Harry set up, the Archewell Foundation, alongside co-executive director Shauna Nep. The departure leaves just one employee at a new entity named Archewell Philanthropies.

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James, it is said, has now returned to the UK. He too released a glowing statement in the wake of his resignation. It read: "From the moment I met Meghan, I recognised a kindred spirit – someone who finds joy even in difficult moments and connects authentically with people regardless of circumstance."

The warm exchange comes as Archewell goes through a period of transition. It is reported that two other junior admin staff were axed this month, as was Archewell’s director of programs and operations Kristen Slevin, on a $146,000 (£108,000) salary.

But James, who according to Linkedin previously did communications work for the Liberal Democrats, was the most loyal of lieutenants, moving to California to be first their PR chief, then to run Archewell. It was Holt who told the 2022 Netflix show Harry & Meghan that there had been a Palace conspiracy against them. Once people saw their popularity, he said, "the aim was to put them in a box or make them irrelevant".

Despite his decision to walk away, James will still serve as a senior philanthropic advisor to Meghan and Harry, as well as their Archewell Philanthropies and on their "humanitarian trips overseas in 2026."

However, sources claim that James is "frustrated" that his return to the UK is during a time of transition for the Sussexes. They added that he is "very protective" of the couple and is anxious about the reaction to his decision.

Records for the organisation show that the professional, a University of Lincoln Journalism graduate, was paid $245,000 (£181,000) by Archewell last year. He signed off the accounts as the organisation's executive director last year but was visibly absent from the Archewell team photograph taken in November.