Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Chief Communications Officer Stepping Down After Less Than a Year

More change is afoot for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s chief communications officer, Meredith Maines, is stepping down after less than a year on the job, reported People.

“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,” said Maines in a statement. A veteran publicist who has worked for Google, Hulu, and as a talent manager on American Idol, Maines joined team Harry and Meghan in late February 2025.

The Sussexes also issued a statement about her 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.”

Method Communications is a PR firm which was hired by Maines, reported the Daily Beast. According to Maines’s LinkedIn profile, her role included work on both the couple’s Archewell charity and Meghan’s As Ever brand.

Maines’s departure comes amid a report by the Daily Mail on December 20 saying that Archewell is facing significant financial challenges and at least three staffers had been let go in a cost-saving move. This came one day after the 41-year-old prince and the 44-year-old former Suits star announced that Archewell Foundation would be known by a new name, Archewell Philanthropies, in 2026.

At the time of the report, a spokesperson for the Sussexes told the Daily Mail that “the same full team remain in place” at Archewell, but admitted that the new phase of the charity could mean layoffs. “The move toward a fiscal sponsor operating model does mean that some staff redundancies are inevitable, particularly with junior admin roles,” read the statement. “We will not be discussing these personnel details further, other than to say that we are honored to have worked with incredibly talented and caring people who dedicate themselves to helping others.”

Since Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal life in 2020, the parents to Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4, have had at least five communications staffers leave their roles. Liam Maguire, their UK and Europe director of communications, remains employed, and according to People, will take over for Maines.