The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have had some staff shake-ups this year, and the British tabloids have been desperate to make the story into something bigger, something like “see, Meghan makes people cry constantly wherever she goes, it’s not just the idiots at Kensington Palace!” The real, noticeable shift began after the Sussexes hired Meredith Maines as their head of communications – suddenly, Meghan and Harry were being more responsive, they were pivoting away from British-tabloid-storylines with ease, and Meghan has been clearly in growth-mode all year. Maines also seems to be streamlining – in June, we heard that she left go of at least four staffers as she continues to implement a new comms strategy with a new team. Well, Page Six apparently just heard this for the first time, and now they’re running an exclusive about the Sussexes’ finances and how they’re looking to rein in their staff spending.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have cut ties with their comms team as they focus on saving cash, Page Six is told. Just last month, it was revealed the renegade royals had parted ways with six more employees, including their two in-house reps. Now, we’re told the tally of staff the couple has lost or let go since they quit as working royals back in 2020 is up to 25, with some departures not yet publicized.
The Sussexes’ Netflix deal – reported to be worth up to $100 million, though sources say it’s actually closer to $20 million – is also up this year.
“It’s the same old story – they cycle through staff as quickly as normal people cycle through toilet paper. Milk lasts longer than their employees,” said one royal source.
[Netflix] is now prioritizing ‘first look’ deals rather than overall exclusive contracts, which means they could re-sign for significantly less money than their current deal, we’re told. This could prove a headache for the couple, who have a heap of expenses – from traveling to an annual security bill believed to be around $2 million.
As Page Six revealed, they splashed out $14.65 million on their home after moving to the US (it’s now believed to be worth around $27 million). Deeds showed they took out a $9.5m mortgage to be paid back, plus interest, by the year 2050, indicating they put down a $5 million deposit. They also have to pay a huge yearly property tax of $288,000.
They also foot the bill for their staff in communications alongside their personal office, the Archewell Foundation, production, as well as employees at their estate in Montecito, CA. We’re told the Sussexes also have to pay for a portion of their “faux foreign tours”, which have seen them visit Nigeria and Columbia.
Harry, 40, and Markle, 43, have now lost hard-working Kyle Boulia, their Los Angeles-based deputy press secretary, and Charlie Gipson, who had been serving as the couple’s European communications director. They also lost Deesha Tank, Archewell’s director of communications and Lianne Cashin, formerly head of operations at Archewell. Markle’s social manager and a personal assistant, who have not been named, have also departed. Meredith Maines remains the couple’s chief communications officer after coming on board in February after their last PR boss, Ashley Hansen, left to start her own consultancy firm. The only other in-house rep is Emily Robinson who, ironically, worked on Netflix royal drama “The Crown”. Maines has also hired a team from Method Communications to help.
Why is a “royal source” commenting on the inner-workings of an American business again? “They cycle through staff as quickly as normal people cycle through toilet paper. Milk lasts longer than their employees…” Quick, royal source, what’s the name of Kensington Palace’s CEO? The CEO which William swore was going to take over operations in 2023? Can the royal source explain why William and Kate were both without private secretaries for five months in 2024? But I digress… I actually believe that Harry and Meghan have had some staff shake-ups in the past year but I think that’s more about shifting priorities, Meghan building her businesses, and wanting a fresh start after several PR bungles. Also: these people are never going to stop dreaming about “the Sussexes are broke!” Meghan just sold thousands of bottles of wine in an hour. Everything she touches sells out. The Sussexes are going to be fine financially for a long time, and Netflix loves being in the Meghan business. And “sources say it’s actually closer to $20 million” – as in, $20 million a year over five years? Page Six is so dumb.
Photos courtesy of As Ever’s IG.
I suspect that the Peg will not collect rent and now the Sussexes are letting people go because of financial reasons are the dream of Pegs people. Look Peg is so rich he isn’t making people pay rent and Harry is in financial hardship! They wish. The Sussexes are doing just great.
‘Royal source’ = UK royal reporter or commentator. As Page 6 is Murdoch, probably the appalling Matt Wilkinson from The Sun.
Yeah, most likely.
“Milk lasts longer than their employees”
Why am I suddenly thinking of Peter Phillips’ Chinese milk ad?
Something must be going on in the KP revolving door. 60+ employees to support slumlord and Lazy Is financially insane.
This is just a wishcasting. It’s clear that they are restructuring because their strategic plan as philanthropists and as commercial entities has come to fruition and they’re figuring out exactly what they need. They hired someone to be the head of their communications and they’ve hired new people to be their CoS for Archewell, this is what comes with it.
They act like it’s 1950 and people are
working on an assembly line. People leave after working for them for a few years, that’s not odd. since they love to stalk LinkedIn, why don’t they look at the profiles of some c-suite executives for various companies and see how often a lot of them switch roles?
Also, why do they always include the people that don’t work for them anymore when they were working royals as part of their staff that left? When I switched jobs earlier this year the people that no longer work for me, don’t count as people that I have lost as a manager.
Is this sort of talk just petulance, or do they honestly still desperately clinging to the fantasy that Harry will come crawling back (minus wife and kids, of course), broke in every sense of the word, begging them to let him serve as their whipping boy again? It’s hard to tell anymore.
@miranda. They know they’re not coming back. Now the goal is to sabotage all their efforts and reputations
Again with the “royal source.” Are the these the royals who said they never think about H&M?
That’s some pure speculation on staffing. And some real wishfulness that that the Sussexes will go broke.
What a nothing burger.
Agreed…but as usual since it’s ‘Royal coverage’ they have to be dramatic. 🤷🏽♀️ 😂
The derangers and bots are making up false news. that they will lose their money. And bots/derangers go on with this propaganda.
When it comes to coverage of Royal/Royal related stories, everything veers towards dramatic convoluted narratives. The Sussexes have had 5 Separate Organizations newly started in 2020 during a 2year pandemic that lost a total of 25 employees out of hundreds of employee and we get this dramatic coverage about it. 🤔 Consider the With Love, Meghan show alone under Archewell Produvtion employs 80 people (Meghan disclosed this recently in her interviews).
Summary
5 years. 5 organizations. 25 employees departed.
– Archewell Production
– Archewell Audio
– Archewell Foundation
– Sussex Household
– Sussex Office
As Ever is a separate entity that just started this year and has its own employees. The media is trying to cover the Sussexes in comparison to the royals but the Sussexes are entrepreneurs, not a political institution like the monarchy. This is Meghan’s Chapter of Joy in the Sussex’s Entrepreneurial Era. I’m so excited. 😃
The Sussex brand has surpassed the Windsor brand. It will in time eclipse it. 🌚
The 25 staff that the press likes to talk about includes the 10-15 people who worked for them when they were working royals. If the Palace had agreed to let Harry and Meghan be half in, those people would still be working for them.
Thanks Amy Bee. This information makes the media narrative even more preposterous. But Royal ‘reporting’ is preposterous so we unfortunately have to deal with this type of junk and not be emotional swayed but instead see it for what it is – BS. The facts are at all times obfuscated.
I’ve also read it was a $153 million deal.
Regarding let staff go, the saying “you don’t want too many cooks in the kitchen” has been used since the late 1500s and applies here.
This is regurgitating an often used UK tabloid narrative about the Sussexes running out of money.
Although it’s what the institution prays for – to have them broke and crawling back to the UK and become working royals again – I think the media seriously underestimate Harry and Meghan’s net worth.
They always conveniently forget about Harry’s work with Better Up where he receives an annual salary of around $1 million and it’s highly likely he has share options too. Plus they had joint assets of approximately $25- $30 million before any deals.
I’d estimate they’re in the $100 million plus bracket with their investments creating enough income to fund a huge portion of their expenses.
I saw GB News trying to make a fuss about this but the two commentators they hired to attack Harry and Meghan just ended up admitted that this an old story and it was Meredith Maines streamlining her staff.
LOL, I love it when their fake narratives are countered by reality.
Once again, lots of “coulds” and “possiblies” in this “news” story. And didn’t Netflix just put out a statement saying how much they were looking forward to working with Meghan now and in the future? And I don’t understand why Murdoch is still hounding the Sussexes after he reached a settlement with Harry. Give it a rest already.
Soooo…..they brought in someone new (who seems to be doing a fantastic job) and that person is making some staffing changes? a company with different divisions thats still fairly new is making staffing changes?
Oh the scandal!!
Meghan has such high class problems. Very first world problems. We should all be so lucky. 😉
There is nothing wrong in streamlining your operations. The clearer your own vision about your enterprise becomes the more you know what you need and which people can help you realising your vision. After 5 years I believe that Meghan (I am not so sure about Harry) but Meghan knows in which direction she wants to go and what kind of people she needs to realise her vision.
Meghan is a sponge. She always wants to learn and loves to soak up information.
And she is learning from other successful women how to build a strong business.
I love to see women who support other women and I look forward to when Meghan has thriving businesses that she uses to lift up others.
Keep winning!
Unlike the royal courts where positions seem to be inherited and seniority rules, successful organizations hire people for the skills needed for the organization to function. It’s clear to sensible observers that hiring for the Sussexes and Archewell was in lockstep with the establishment of their organizations, and with growth and change. Are these BM types really as dim as their writing indicates?
Ah. Willy has been on a roll with the smear campaign lately. Wonder what he has done and is hiding by smearing his brother or if this is just how he enjoys spending his time? The Sussexes are an attractive couple who have taken awhile to figure out a media strategy. Happy 9 (?) year anniversary of your second date!