Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Make Staff Change Ahead of New Show, Brand

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are announcing a change in their staff.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have hired Meredith Maines as their first chief communications officer, Axios reported on Feb. 28. Maines previously worked for Google, ran communications at Hulu and worked as a talent manager for American Idol. She comes most recently from Lightspeed Venture Partners.

“I’m honored to partner with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to highlight the amazing work they are doing through Archewell, their broader business portfolio, and nonprofit work,” Maines said. “I’m excited to help them tell their story as entrepreneurs, builders and philanthropists, while overseeing all communications for the couple and their ventures.”

The couple also hired Shahed Fakhari Larson, founder of UNLMTD Partners and former CMO at Coatue, as outside strategic communications counsel in support of their tech and business ventures.

The new staff members for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex join just ahead of the premiere of the new Netflix show With Love, Meghan, set to debut on March 4. Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, is also set to launch soon.

Maines succeeds Ashley Hansen, who held the title of Global Press Secretary and Head of Communications.

In October 2024, Hansen revealed that she was beginning a new venture while continuing to work with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. She launched her own Los Angeles-based communications firm, Three Gate Strategies, specializing in bespoke communications services and brand management for a select group of organizations and individuals, including Harry and Meghan. She said she would continue to represent and advise the couple as part of her new firm while providing strategic oversight to their international communications team. Three Gate Strategies also said they would handle communications for Meghan’s new business ventures and creative projects, including her upcoming Netflix show and lifestyle brand.

“I am incredibly grateful to the Duke and Duchess for their continued trust in me. Their unwavering support and belief in my new firm has been meaningful and is a testament to their leadership. I knew when they first hired me that they were giving me the opportunity of a lifetime and I couldn’t be happier to continue working together,” Hansen said in a statement at the time.

Meghan said in her own statement, “We are so proud of Ashley, especially as a female entrepreneur. We look forward to having her focused expertise on our business and creative projects and her continued oversight of our communications team. My husband and I are excited to be alongside Ashley as she builds something extraordinarily special with her firm.”

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Last year marked significant growth within the Sussexes’ communications team, with the appointments of Kyle Boulia and Charlie Gipson, senior-level communications executives based in Los Angeles and London, respectively.