Well well well, add this piece of news to the larger mystery involving Natasha Archer. Natasha Archer abruptly left her Kensington Palace job back in early July. That alone is still a mystery – Archer was the Princess of Wales’s executive assistant and stylist, largely in charge of all of Kate’s wardrobe. One could argue that Kate is very close to being queen consort, and given her affection for Archer, it seems bizarre that Archer would quit working for the Wig Who Will Be Queen. Adding to the mystery, when Archer left her royal job, she made her Instagram public, and people soon discovered that she was stalking the IG accounts of ALL of Meghan’s friends, associates and designers working with Meghan. Archer was even following style accounts devoted to Meghan’s fashion. Well, I don’t know where this piece of news fits in, but Archer left her husband, photographer Chris Jackson.
When it was disclosed in July that Natasha Archer was leaving Kensington Palace after a decade and a half, royal watchers noted that the Princess of Wales would deeply miss her ‘invaluable’ aide and confidante. Now, I hear that Catherine is not the only one whom Natasha is leaving. Friends say she has separated from her husband, the royal photographer Chris Jackson.
‘They haven’t been together for some time,’ claims one pal. ‘Chris has attended a string of social events on his own.’
Neither Chris, 45, nor Natasha, 37, wish to comment, but she was conspicuous by her absence from holiday snaps that the photographer shared on social media from a trip to Greece with his mother and two sons this summer. Also missing was the wedding ring that Chris previously wore. He was last pictured with Natasha at Easter.
The couple, who married in France in 2017 and have two young sons, are hugely popular in royal circles. Queen Camilla is particularly fond of Chris, whom she and King Charles chose to take their portrait on their 20th wedding anniversary in Italy this year. He was also granted behind-the-scenes access on the day of the Coronation in 2023.
Natasha, or Tash as she’s known to chums, has left the palace to set up a private consultancy firm. She was credited with overhauling the princess’s image by encouraging her to show more leg, ditch wedges for heels and wear more High Street outfits. She has been seen by the princess’s side on social occasions and has accompanied her on official overseas trips, including to Canada, Pakistan, Norway and Bhutan, often pictured stepping off aeroplanes laden with luggage and shopping bags full of clothes.
She started working as a personal assistant, or ‘Girl Friday’, for Catherine and Prince William in 2010, the year of their engagement. She soon took on the role of unofficial stylist to the princess. Awarded the Royal Victorian Order for services to the Royal Family in 2019, Natasha was seen as Catherine’s right-hand woman and was promoted to senior private executive assistant three years later. Last year, she was seen visiting the princess at The London Clinic during her 14-day stay following her planned abdominal surgery – a reflection of the closeness of their relationship.
Hm. Perhaps even “huh.” Perhaps even “lmao.” Seriously, though, Chris Jackson has become deeply embedded within Windsor World – he’s always being called upon to take portraits for Charles and Camilla these days. Meanwhile, Kate has been inviting different photographers to photograph her and her children in the past year. Now, can I sit here and spin a good theory about whether everything is all connected? Perhaps. Perhaps it even started with the Kate Missington fiasco last year, and Archer being called upon to “visit the hospital.” All I’m saying is that Natasha and Chris have both had a lot of access to a lot of royal secrets in recent years. They both need to watch their backs too – I still find it wild that Natasha outed her former employer as a Meghan-stalker the second Natasha left royal service.
Hey, do you think this is the shade of blonde which Kate was aiming for? Just wondering!
Photos courtesy of Getty.
