When your publicist can’t even last a year, you’ve got a problem, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle just hit their eleventh one. Chief Communications Officer Meredith Maines walked away in December 2025 after barely 10 months, raising questions about Sussex operations. Add a Kardashian social media disaster, rejected PR firms, foundation deficits, and layoffs, and a storm is brewing as it unravels.
Publicists Are Leaving At A Shocking Pace
Meredith Maines stepped down after just 10 months with the Sussexes in late December 2025, becoming their 11th communications professional to exit since 2020. That is roughly 2 departures per year, a turnover rate that would alarm any employer. PR professionals typically stay 3 to 5 years in such roles. The pattern feels bigger.
A Hire With Credentials That Looked Bulletproof
Meredith Maines arrived with serious credentials: Stanford graduate, former venture capital partner at Lightspeed, leadership roles at Hulu, Google, and American Idol. She was hired in March 2025 to bring institutional credibility and strategic sophistication to the Sussex operation. By all accounts, she had what they needed to turn things around. So why did it end fast?
“After A Year of Inspiring Work…”
“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 said on December 26, 2025. The diplomacy masked tension, and insiders were already whispering about what followed.
The Kardashian Party Photo That Exploded
On November 8, 2025, Kris Jenner hosted her 70th birthday party at Jeff Bezos’s $175 million Beverly Hills estate, with a James Bond theme. Meghan and Harry attended and were photographed by Kris and Kim Kardashian, who posted the images. Within 48 hours, both removed every photo featuring the Sussexes, sparking a major rift.
Why Delete Pictures From Your Own Party?
Sources suggest the Sussexes requested deletion because the timing clashed with Remembrance Sunday and Veterans Day, major military observances that made a lavish celebrity party look tone-deaf. The request effectively signaled that we do not want to be seen with you right now. To the Kardashians, it felt like rejection. To the public, brand confusion. Who took it personally?
“Kris Certainly Isn’t Expecting Anyone To Say No”
“Kris and Kim and their entire circle are stunned. Asking for permission to share photos is done as a courtesy, but Kris certainly isn’t expecting anyone to say no, and certainly not Meghan and Harry. These are two people who have asked for and received her help, advice, and connections,” an insider told Page Six. Sources say Kris is warning influential figures to distance themselves, and that chill spreads quickly.
The Agencies That Want Nothing To Do With Them
By December 2025, top American public relations agencies had declined to represent the Sussexes, even firms that handle A-list clients with worse reputational challenges. One source said: “They’re difficult and, frankly, cheap. Kardashians and Beyoncé spend a fortune on PR; Harry and Meghan expect the same results for a fraction of the budget.” When the industry turns you down, the reasons usually compound.
“It’s Hard Because Of The Principals”
“The job isn’t hard because of the press. It’s hard because of the principals. Harry and Meghan are impossible to satisfy, and their expectations constantly shift,” one former staffer told celebrity reporter Rob Shuter. Sources described a high-pressure environment prone to “hitting DEFCON 1 over minor issues.” Meghan was portrayed as demanding constant rewrites and a micromanaging strategy. That kind of workplace has consequences.
When Advice Gets Ignored, Pros Stop Staying
Communications specialists have described a core issue: the Sussexes hire advisors, then disregard guidance. One insider said plans were scrapped if they did not match Meghan’s instincts or Harry’s mood, especially after a bad headline. PR expert Mayah Riaz warned that frequent emotional pivots make an “impossible working environment,” turning strategists into firefighters. But the pressure was also financial, not just emotional.
Archewell’s Numbers Suddenly Look Bleak
The Archewell Foundation reported a $2.5 million deficit in 2024, taking in $2.1 million in donations while spending $5.1 million. The foundation cut its workforce by about 80% to 85%, retaining only essential staff. It also distributed just $1.25 million in charitable grants despite more than $5 million in expenses. For a philanthropy brand, those ratios raise uncomfortable questions.
The Fundraising Pattern That Spooks Donors
“In 2023, the foundation received $5.7 million in contributions, but all but $700,000 came from a single mystery donor. In 2022, they reported just $2 million in donations after receiving $13 million the year prior,” according to financial filings. Those swings suggest fundraising instability and weakening confidence. Even sympathetic supporters tend to prefer consistency. The spending details made the story sharper.
Tours, Overhead, And A Murky Expense Line
Much of 2024’s spending traced to unofficial tours in Nigeria and Colombia, complete with designer wardrobes, meetings with national leaders, and dinners held in their honor. The filings also listed $913,000 in staff salaries and $2.9 million in “other expenses,” up from $1 million the year before. Archewell announced a rebrand as Archewell Philanthropies in December 2025, but did rebranding solve anything?
Netflix Projects Are Not Landing Like Before
Meghan’s lifestyle series With Love, Meghan drew 526,000 households in its first 5 days, far below earlier Sussex momentum. Harry’s Polo series pulled fewer than 500,000 views. Meghan’s holiday special hit 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, a historic low. Their Netflix deal shifted from exclusive to “first-look” in August 2025, meaning Netflix must approve projects before they shop elsewhere. The criticism got even harsher.
“Meghan Markle Should Be Nowhere Near A Kitchen”
Celebrity chef Jameson Stocks told The Express, “Meghan Markle should be nowhere near a kitchen,” mocking her use of a microwave to melt chocolate. Critics called the show boring and inauthentic. One reviewer wrote: “It’s the same old, dull routine. A sluggish, predictable episode stretching the previous season’s boredom, filled with pointless name-dropping and meaningless recipe segments.” Sources say Netflix wants her to “work on her image,” and brand metrics are not helping.
Her Lifestyle Brand Is Losing To Goop By A Lot
Meghan’s As Ever site drew 196,831 monthly visits in October 2025, compared with Goop’s 812,462. Page views showed 746,592 for As Ever versus 2.3 million for Goop. Sources say Meghan was mortified, despite early product sellouts, because sustained interest looked weak. One insider said: “She’s viewing the figures as her ultimate mortification.” What do you do when growth stalls and costs rise?
Running California From London Looks Like A Retreat
Instead of replacing Maines, the Sussexes elevated Liam Maguire, their UK-based Communications Director, to oversee global strategy from London. One insider called it cost-cutting by eliminating a senior US salary. But managing a California entertainment operation from 8 time zones away can slow crisis response and strain staff. It may save money now, but it will create bigger problems later. Former staffers say the root issue is deeper than structure.
“It’s Not Bad Luck. It’s Bad Leadership”
“It’s not bad luck. It’s bad leadership,” one insider told Rob Shuter. Another said, “A competent PR can survive bad headlines. They can’t survive clients who won’t listen or demand that you push false narratives. That’s the Sussex problem.” Multiple former employees described needing “long-term therapy” after leaving. The couple denies workplace issues, but the exits keep stacking up. The comparison with the royals they left behind is striking.
Why William And Kate Don’t Have This Problem
Prince William and Kate Middleton have kept senior communications staff for years, according to royal experts. Their operation relies on established protocols and clear institutional hierarchies. The contrast is stark: stability versus churn, process versus improvisation. While the Sussexes rotate publicists rapidly, the Prince and Princess of Wales maintain an infrastructure that signals professionalism and predictability. That difference shapes press outcomes and hiring appeal. But the Sussexes still face 2026 realities.
The Window Is Narrowing As 2026 Moves On
As 2026 unfolds, the Sussexes face no major new TV deals, rising legal defense costs, a California operation run from London by 1 stretched professional, no top-tier PR agency support, and strained Hollywood relationships. Royal expert Isabella Fordwich warned: “Top-notch professionals don’t want to nor need to enter into such a volatile situation with no sustainability.” The pool of willing talent is shrinking, and that often changes everything.
The 11th Exit Was The Symptom, Not The Cause
Meredith Maines’s departure is less about 1 person and more about a wider dysfunction across communications strategy, workplace culture, philanthropic governance, and key relationships. The Kardashian incident may have been a trigger, but industry rejection, Archewell deficits, commercial stumbles, and staff burnout point to systemic issues. Hiring another publicist will not fix a model that keeps producing the same outcome. Whether they recognize it may decide their future.
Sources:
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and CCO, Method Communications Part Ways. PR Week, December 26, 2025
Archewell Foundation 2024 Tax Filings Show $2.5 Million Deficit. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, November 2025
Meghan and Harry Lose 11th Publicist in Five Years as PR Exodus Continues. The Independent, December 26, 2025