Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing another round of staff departures.
It was confirmed on Dec. 26 that the couple’s chief communications officer, Meredith Maines, would be stepping down from her position after officially starting work with them in March. Just a few days later, their longtime advisor, James Holt, announced he would be leaving his role as executive director of Archewell on Dec. 29.
News of their departures comes after three communications staffers — Charlie Gipson, Kyle Boulia and Emily Robinson — also resigned earlier this year. Their global press secretary, Ashley Hansen, previously stepped down last year to start her own agency after working with the couple for two years.
“In virtually any context—other than the final months of an outgoing administration—losing five senior-level comms advisors inside of a year is a bit abnormal,” Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital.
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He continued: “It’s unclear whether it was due to budgetary constraints within Archewell—as has been alluded to in other articles and sources—or merely a consolidation plan that realigns strategic direction from the UK, or whether it was merely the conclusion of a predetermined engagement. What hasn’t been indicated, or inferred, is that any of the aforementioned advisors either quit or were terminated.”
According to Eldridge, the signs of “a successful strategic communications team and plan are: clarity, continuity, and execution,” which in turn bring stability, something he says “is hard to maintain…when your comms team has become a revolving door over the last 12 months.”
Royal photographer, Helena Chard, joked that it feels like déjà vu with Harry and Meghan this time of year, as “the unusual high staff turnover merry-go-round continues,” while also sharing a potential reason for Maines’ departure.
“Allegedly, the Kris Jenner birthday party controversy contributed to Meredith Maines’ decision to leave. She, along with the communications team, has faced scrutiny over media relations handling and public perception,” Chard told Fox News Digital.
“Maines is a highly respected communications professional and, without doubt, will be protecting her reputation from the Sussex’s possible damaging erratic behavior,” she continued. “A communications strategy only works if all parties adhere to the plan.”
Harry and Meghan attended Jenner’s birthday party at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos’ Beverly Hills home in November. Both Kim Kardashian and Jenner posted photos of the couple at the party on Instagram, with the two of them later taking their posts down.
Chard also speaks to there being “a distinct lack of clarity” in their messaging, noting that “there should be a focus on consistency and credibility for success.”
“There are murmurs of Meghan and Harry not following advice given by experts,” Chard adds. “Hiring top experts is essential to things running successfully. Everyone has their strengths and one would hope that Meghan and Harry have learned that they do not always know best!”
Royal commentator Hilary Fordwich refers to the new round of departures as “undeniable confirmation” that Harry and Meghan are “are unmanageably high‑maintenance and hypocritical at best,” calling them “the common denominator here in this dysfunctional situation.”
“There is no other logical explanation as this is far from business as usual, it’s neither calm nor coherent,” Fordwich added. “Harking back to their royal legacy of the ‘Sussex Survivors Club’, coined by former Palace staff describing their trauma from bullying allegations after working for the couple, believing, only half-jokingly, they suffered from a form of post-traumatic stress.”
Fordwich explained that people in those positions usually stick around for three to five years, with most departures happening because of “mergers, scandals, or change of leadership,” with exceptions being “start-ups or companies in crisis mode,” adding “such tumultuous turnovers signal either the principals are ghastly to work with and for, and/or the company is shrinking, or both.”
She also contrasted the level of turnover in Harry and Meghan’s staff to Prince William and Kate Middleton, whose senior communications staff worked with the couple for years, adding this continuity “is facilitated by established protocols and clear institutional hierarchies.”
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Eldridge and Chard also focused on the media attention the departures are bringing the couple, adding that “paradoxically, it creates the very type of headlines they wanted to avoid in the first place.”
He explained that now that they don’t have a team to “plant headlines on your behalf,” the public is now more focused on “why your senior comms advisors are leaving in droves.”
“The UK ‘audience’ (I’m not sure she has a demonstrable fan base over there) are markedly more vicious, at least by American tabloid standards,” Eldridge said. “Here in the U.S., the presumption—whether right or wrong—will be that she is difficult to work with and that’s why so many experienced, senior comms leaders are exiting faster than a “10 items or less” line at the checkout. Neither conclusion will benefit Markle.”
“The NDAs are signed, the messaging is carefully choreographed and smoke and mirrors covering staff departures dominate press coverage,” Chard added. “Many have sparked conversations surrounding the underlying issues, instability and disconnect within camp.”
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In terms of what this means for the couple moving forward, Fordwich explains that it might be hard for them to find high-caliber professionals who are willing to work for them.
“What this will do henceforth is to limit the caliber of professionals willing to work for Harry and Meghan Markle,” Fordwich said. “Top notch professionals don’t either want to nor need to enter into such a volatile situation with no sustainability, let alone a contracting versus expanding philanthropic entity with strategy confusion and a ghastly incoherent track-record to date.”
