Harry and Meghan have lost another senior member of staff, as their chief communications officer quit less than a year into the role.
Meredith Maines was appointed at the end of 2024 to lead the press and media operations for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, although she was only publicly announced in the role in February this year.
Maines becomes the eleventh PR officer in just five years to have left their employments with the Sussexes.
A source close to Maines told ITV News she had quit a few weeks ago having decided it was “time to go”.
The source added that Maines had “accomplished a lot this year” with the Sussexes and has been helping the couple with the “transition period”.
The PR executive is understood to have a new career opportunity which will be announced in the coming weeks.
There has been some chat among some the Sussex team that Maines was not the right fit as she had a venture capital and tech background.
But sources close to the former Communications Chief pointed to her past experience with the Hulu streaming platform, owned by Disney, and denied her professional background was not suited to Harry and Meghan’s needs.
They point to the launch of Meghan’s As Ever brand, and her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan as well as the Duchess’ most recent podcast.
But she did authorise the television interview Prince Harry did in reaction to his court case defeat to the Home Office about his security.
The interview was widely criticised and deepened the rift between Harry and his father, particularly after Harry spoke about King Charles’ cancer diagnosis.
Maines’ deputy, Liam Maguire, who is based in the UK and was predominantly focused on Prince Harry’s work, has been asked to step up as Chief Communications Officer for both the Duke and Duchess.
He is said to favour a different approach which will focus on Harry and Meghan’s global status and prevent them being exposed in the way Harry was after his court case loss.
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The official statements from the two sides could not be described as being full of warmth.
Harry and Meghan said in a statement: “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.”
A statement from Meredith Maines read: “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.”
This is Talking Royals – our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson
