Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ‘kindness happens behind closed doors’, a former Archewell boss has claimed – as she opened up about the ‘incredible’ weekly lunches the Duchess hosted at their Montecito home.
Mandana Dayani, 42, who was born in Iran but was raised in the US, worked as Archewell’s president for 18 months until December 2022.
The entrepreneur is just one of several former Archewell employees who have publicly supported the couple after Meghan was branded ‘Duchess Difficult’.
Speaking to US Weekly, Mandana – who made several appearances in the couple’s Netflix docu-series – explained how the ‘kindness, mentorship and support’ she has received from the Duke and Duchess ‘happens quietly behind closed doors’.
Reflecting on some of her happiest times in the role, the mother-of-two said: ‘Some of my favourite memories were during our weekly meetings in their Montecito home, where Meghan always served the most incredible lunches, snacks and her latest beautiful concoction.’
Pictured: Meghan Markle with former Archewell president Mandana Dayani in October 2022 – two months before she left the role
Mandana also said she will ‘never forget’ watching the Duchess of Sussex sit on her kitchen floor cold-calling senators as she fed Lilibet, who was just five months old at the time.
Meghan called Republican Senators. Susan Collins from Maine and Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia, both of whom said they were shocked that the Duchess called out of the blue and noted that she even used her royal title to lobby for the cause for paid parental leave.
The former Archewell president also said she travelled to Uvalde, Texas, with Meghan after 19 children and two teachers were killed in a mass school shooting.
The activist said Meghan spent hours with the victims’ families and went round the room ‘one-by-one’, where she ‘hugged and cried with them’.
Elsewhere in the article, Mandana detailed getting ready with Meghan to attend a gala before she left Archewell.
The activist said: ‘I walked into their room [and found] Meghan finishing her own make-up and steaming her jumpsuit. We all toasted with a sip of champagne while Meghan danced to her favourite oldies playlist.’
Although Mandana didn’t specify what the event was, Meghan wore a white jumpsuit to attend the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York in December 2022 – the same month Mandana resigned from her position.
During her 18 months at Archewell, Mandana said she was in ‘awe’ of Prince Harry’s humility’.
Pictured: Former Archewell president Mandana Dayani in August 2024. The activist has said she is ‘proud to call Harry and Meghan her friends’
Pictured: the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attending the ESPY Awards in Hollywood in July 2024
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Detailing how her paternal grandmother was a Kurdish mother-of-seven who never learned to read while Harry’s was the late Queen, Mandana said she was never made to feel ‘less than’ at Archewell.
What’s more, the former Archewell President says she is still in touch with her former employers and spoke to the Duchess recently to plan a lunch catch-up.
She added: ‘These are kind, decent, caring people who I am very proud to call my friends.’
Mandana’s comments come as staff loyal to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave the couple a glowing report last night as a war of words over Meghan being labelled a ‘dictator in high heels’ continued to rage.
Current and former staff staged an extraordinary intervention in friendly American media, describing the Sussexes as ‘caring’ bosses who give staff their children’s old baby clothes, fresh flowers and ‘care packages’.
Pictured: Josh Kettler, Prince Harry’s chief of staff who left after just three months in August 2024
Stung by recent accusations, particularly in industry heavyweight the Hollywood Reporter, that ‘Duchess Difficult’ has reduced grown men to tears as she ‘barks’ out orders, a string of employees offered a remarkably rosy account of their working lives to US Weekly magazine in the States.
Josh Kettler, Harry’s chief of staff who left after just three months in August, sparking the latest round of negative publicity, insists he was ‘warmly welcomed’ by both Harry and Meghan and describes them as ‘dedicated and hardworking’.
‘It was impressive to witness,’ he said but did not elaborate on why his tenure was so short.
Ben Browning, Archewell’s former head of content – who was responsible for their tell-all Netflix documentary but then left before the end of his contract- says his experience at the company and with Meghan and Harry in general ‘was positive and supportive’
Their current PR chief, ‘global press secretary’ Ashley Hansen, says they treated her with ‘the kind of concern and care a parent would express if it were their own child’ when she took time off for surgery, adding that they also sent flowers and gifts.
‘Meghan would personally reach out to my husband daily to make sure that we both were OK and had support. It meant so much to him and even more to me. You don’t realise how much that kind of kindness and thought means until you need it,’ she insisted.
Meghan, attends a reception at Government House on October 18, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia
Another anonymous source insists the Duke and Duchess ‘water the seeds’ for them to flourish. Harry, they say, asks on work Zoom calls about what staff have done at the weekend and says as a team they plan events like karaoke nights and ‘holiday parties’.
A former staff member said the couple heard they had adopted a dog, ‘the next day, I had a luxury brand leash and new collar on my doorstep’.
Parents-to-be are also given ‘brand-new gifts and top-notch secondhand stuff from the couple themselves ‘like unused car seats and baby items they no longer need’, it was said.
‘They want to take care of us,’ one current employee gushed. ‘Meghan will do things like, ‘You mentioned on the call your skin is bothering you, I put together a kit for you.’
And it was said that no-one leaves the couple’s Montecito home empty-handed. ‘Whenever staff goes to their house, they leave with a basket with fresh flowers, fresh fruit, fresh eggs,’ one staffer said.
Maer Roshan (pictured), Co-Editor in Chief of the publication, has said he stands by the story, despite a backlash amongst supporters of the Sussexes
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictured during their quasi-royal tour of Columbia in August
‘Best bosses I have ever had,’ another current team member insists.
It is a stark contrast to recent reports about a string of departures from their Archewell organisation, which combines their media deals with philanthropic endeavours.
The latest expose claiming the Duchess of Sussex is a ‘dictator in high heels’ was sourced from someone ‘very high up’ still working for the couple, it has been claimed.
The original article in the Hollywood Reporter also said Meghan ‘doesn’t take advice’ and has reduced ‘grown men to tears’ as she ‘barks’ orders.
Prince Harry and Meghan attend the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York City
The Duchess of Sussex, watches the prize ceremony at the 2024 Royal Salute Polo Challenge on April 12
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex – who stepped back as working royals in 2020 – pictured on their Colombia visit on August 15
Maer Roshan, Co-Editor in Chief of the publication, has subsequently said he stands by the story, despite a backlash amongst supporters of the Sussexes.
Mr Roshan says they not only spoke to around a dozen people who had worked closely with Harry and Meghan ‘now and previously’ but told Access Hollywood that ‘our reporter talked to one very high up source who works for the couple who said everyone is terrified of Meghan’.
They say the former royal ‘belittles people’ and ‘doesn’t take advice’.
The sudden deluge of praise will do little to dampen speculation around the couple’s behaviour.
The duchess herself has always strongly denied claims of bullying staff, particularly in the UK, claiming they were part of a ‘calculated smear campaign’ against her.
Mr Roshan added: ‘Duchess Difficult is a nickname that has trailed Meghan for quite a few years.
And he now believes that their insider has revealed that it ‘probably isn’t true’ that claims Meghan is difficult to work with were manufactured by the Palace after Megxit.
Buckingham Palace launched its own investigation after the bullying allegations were made public but refused to reveal the results of their findings.
