Harry and Meghan Hit With Another Setback as Key Staffer Quits in Under a Year
Hired in late February, Meredith Maines oversaw communications across the Sussexes nonprofit work, business ventures, and public profile.
Just days after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle fired three staff members from Archewell Philanthropies, their former chief communications officer, Meredith Maines, announced that she was stepping down. Hired in late February, she oversaw communications across the couple's nonprofit work, business ventures, and public profile. As the Sussexes continue to face workplace bullying accusations, Maines's exit in less than a year has renewed scrutiny over their alleged poor work ethic and treatment of staff behind the scenes.
In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Harry and Markle confirmed Maines's departure, saying, "Meredith Maines and Method Communications have concluded their work with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The Duke and Duchess are grateful for their contributions and wish them well." Shortly after, Maines also expressed her gratitude to the Sussexes for providing her with the opportunity to work with them, saying, "After a year of inspiring work with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Archewell, I will be pursuing a new opportunity in 2026. I have the utmost gratitude and respect for the couple and the team, and the good they are doing in the world."
Maines's sudden departure comes amid continued layoffs within the Sussexes' communications team at Archewell. Commenting on her exit, a source well-versed with the royal couple's communications approach stressed, "There were a few eyebrows raised when Method and Meredith were retained, given their heavy background in tech, consumer PR, and venture capital." Meanwhile, another insider hinted toward no blood adding, "She's [Maines] deeply strategic and handled everything from the Netflix project to their philanthropic initiatives…She's beloved throughout the industry — she never complains and never has a bad thing to say — and genuinely enjoyed her time working with the Sussexes."
It is believed that an agency has already been selected to replace Method Communications, where Maines worked, in supporting Harry and Markle in the US. However, they are not expected to recruit another chief communications officer. Instead, Liam Maguire, their UK and Europe director of communications, will take on an expanded role as lead communications director. Following the Sussexes' recent announcement rebranding, the Archewell Foundation as Archewell Philanthropies, a report by the Daily Mail on December 21 claimed Harry and Markle fired three staff members as part of the transition. Weighing in on the situation, their spokesperson said, "The move toward a fiscal sponsor operating model does mean that some staff redundancies are inevitable, particularly with junior admin roles."
As mentioned earlier, this isn't the first time Harry and Markle have been accused of abrupt layoffs and alleged workplace harassment. In October, their former Director of Communications, Emily Robinson, became one of the 10 publicists to quit since 2020, in just four months. Similarly, when Robinson joined in June, the couple allegedly fired their communications chiefs, Charlie Gipson and Kyle Boulia, who had worked with them for a year. Their shocking decision reportedly led to the other staff members leaving Markle's team.
