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.
