Just days after being branded the most disliked celebrities of 2025, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing yet another image crisis, this time involving their shrinking PR team.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly lost two key aides within days of each other, including chief communications officer Meredith Maines and Archewell head James Holt, reigniting questions about why so many PR professionals keep walking away from the couple.
Highlights
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lost two key aides within days, reigniting scrutiny over their high staff turnover this year alone.
- Insiders allege “difficult” working conditions behind the scenes as a driving factor, despite public statements remaining cordial.
- The couple has denied all “bullying” claims as questions grow over why so many PR professionals keep leaving.
As confirmation of Holt’s departure came shortly after Maines’, multiple sources have offered insight into what allegedly transpired behind the scenes.
“Because they all figured out Meghan is mean, lacks compassion, empathy and has the audacity to say she’s so kind and honest. What a joke,” one frustrated netizen sarcastically reacted.
Meredith Maines and James Holt, who served as head of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s organization, have quit within days of each other
Image credits: Aaron Chown/Getty Images
On Monday, December 29, James Holt, the executive director of the Archewell Foundation and the longest-serving aide to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, confirmed his departure from the couple’s team.
Holt worked with the Sussexes for nearly 10 years, beginning in 2017 as a publicist for the Royal Foundation in London.
When Harry and Markle stepped down from their royal duties and moved to California in 2020, Holt joined them and went on to lead Archewell as its executive director from March 2021 until his recent exit.
Image credits: Netflix
In his role, Holt primarily oversaw the couple’s global philanthropic initiatives, with a focus on mental health support for veterans, humanitarian aid in Gaza, and digital safety for families.
Holt’s departure comes just days after another key team member, Meredith Maines, also confirmed her exit after the Christmas holiday on Friday, December 26.
Maines served as Archewell’s Chief Communications Officer (CCO), having been appointed to the role in late February and beginning her tenure in March 2025.
Image credits: Kristina Bumphrey/Getty Images
She managed communications across the couple’s ventures, including Meghan’s podcast and lifestyle brand As Ever, as well as Netflix projects such as Meghan’s cooking show With Love, Meghan.
Maines’ exit came just 10 months into working with Meghan and the Prince, raising doubts and suspicions about why so many publicity staff members have stepped down in recent years.
While the former staff members kept their public statements cordial, several sources have alleged that “difficult” situations led to the key departures in recent months
Image credits: Netflix
Reportedly, at least 11 publicists or senior communications professionals have left the non-working royals’ employment since they moved to the U.S. in 2020.
Meredith was the 11th PR professional to depart in five years, following in the footsteps of Director of Communications Emily Robinson, who quit in October 2025, as well as Kyle Boulia, the Deputy Press Secretary (U.S.), and Charlie Gipson, the Press Officer (U.K.), both of whom departed over the summer of 2025, among several others.
Notably, while both Meredith’s and James’ statements announcing their respective departures made no mention of workplace difficulties or tension with the Suits alum and her husband, sources have since shed more light on the situation.
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According to Daily Mail, an insider alleged that Holt had recently returned from three months of paternity leave and was departing to move back home to London to be closer to his husband and young child.
The source said, “He’s frustrated that his move back to the U.K. is coming at a time of transition for the Duke and Duchess, hence his decision to stay on for a few more months to manage things at Archewell. He’s very protective of the couple and anxious that this is going to cause them grief.”
The “transition” referenced by the source likely alludes to the Archewell Foundation’s shift to a fiscal sponsorship model under the new name, Archewell Philanthropies.
Meanwhile, Holt said that “working with Prince Harry and Meghan has been one of the great privileges” of his career.
In her resignation statement, Meredith said, “I have the utmost gratitude and respect for the couple and the team, and the good they are doing in the world.”
“They begged her to stay on to help manage the transition,” an insider alleged, referring to the Duke and Duchess’ request that Meredith stay longer
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However, multiple insiders allege that she exited in pursuit of new professional opportunities, as well as due to having endured several “difficult” PR crisis moments earlier this year.
Meghan’s surprise trip to Paris to attend a fashion show ignited a wave of backlash after she posted a video on Instagram showing her being driven at night along the River Seine, the same route Princess Diana took on the night she tragically passed away.
Then, in November 2025, rumors circulated of a rift between Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner and Meghan after Kris deleted photos featuring the Duchess from her social media following her 70th birthday celebration.
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Sources alleged that the images were removed at the “request” of Meghan and Harry, a claim the couple reportedly denied.
In light of these controversies, insiders told Daily Mail that Meredith’s handling of the situations was viewed as “unsuccessful,” and further alleged that she resigned in mid-November, when the Kris-Meghan drama erupted.
Another source previously told the publication, “When anything negative comes out, someone has to pay. It is a miserable and impossible job. Meghan will get disappointed by one thing and then ice someone out.”
The couple denied allegations of “bullying,” and reportedly Liam Maguire, their UK and Europe Director of Communications, has stepped in to lead all publicity-related work
Image credits: meghan
“She will never let you live it down or forget how you let her down - and neither will Harry.”
However, another source addressing the rumors and Maines’ departure said, “[Meredith] really enjoyed her time there, but at a certain point, it is time to go.”
“They begged her to stay to manage the transition of the Archewell Foundation and other changes. She stayed to do that. Meredith feels that she has done what she set out to do.”
Image credits: Netflix
The insider added, “She launched the show, the brand, and the website. She also got Harry to meet with his father in September, which was a priority they set out to achieve.”
Rumors have long circulated that working for the Sussexes has left former staff members seeking “long-term therapy,” with friends and family of ex-employees even describing the workplace as “toxic” and “draining.”
Image credits: LinkedIn
However, both Markle and Harry have denied all such allegations of “bullying,” and reports suggest that following the departures of key figures like James and Meredith, Liam Maguire has been promoted to Lead Communications Director, effectively serving as the couple’s chief of communications.
“Imagine saying you love having a strong team around you when the news reported that 4 of them quit or were fired just days before,” joked one netizen
