For years, I’ve complained about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s ostrich-syndrome communications strategy. There have been too many times over the past five years where it felt like Harry and Meghan were bizarrely still trying to play by “royal rules” or holding themselves to the asinine “never complain, never explain” non-strategy. Instead of responding to the existential threats to their business and reputation from Bill Simmons and Hollywood Reporter entertainment journalists, the Sussexes either buried their heads in the sand or pushed back only through third-parties. And don’t get me started on their lack of promotion for many of their projects. They’ve needed new comms people and new strategies for a while. Well, good news, hopefully: they’ve hired their first “chief communications officer.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have brought on Meredith Maines as their first chief communications officer, Axios exclusively reports.
Why it matters: Perhaps no couple makes more headlines or receives more public scrutiny than the Sussexes, and Maines will be tasked with managing their reputation as well as the reputation of their expanding business portfolio. As CCO, Maines will oversee communications for Prince Harry and Meghan, their brand footprint and nonprofit endeavors.
Shahed Fakhari Larson, founder of UNLMTD Partners and former CMO at Coatue, has also been hired as outside strategic communications counsel in support of their tech and business ventures. Maines — who begins the role on March 3 — is succeeding Archewell former head of communications Ashley Hansen, who left in October to launch her own firm with the support of The Duke and Duchess.
Maines joins Team Sussex from Lightspeed Venture Partners, where she served as the firm’s first marketing partner, overseeing communications, brand strategy and advised Lightspeed’s portfolio companies. Before Lightspeed, Maines ran communications at Hulu and worked as a talent manager for American Idol. She started her career at Google, helping to launch its search products.
Maines’ hire comes amid the pending launch of Meghan’s new company, As Ever, and shortly after Prince Harry’s main stage speech at venture capital summit, Upfront.
Maines said: “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, I’m excited to help them tell their story as entrepreneurs, builders and philanthropists, while overseeing all communications for the couple and their ventures.”
What to watch: The duke has made several private investments in recent years, including his investment in coaching platform BetterUp, and he is reportedly eyeing ventures that support veterans, mental health and online safety. The Duchess of Sussex’s new Netflix series, “With Love, Meghan,” will premiere on March 4, while the launch of her lifestyle company is expected to follow this spring.
I don’t know how this will work with Ashley Hansen, who started her own PR firm last fall and the Sussexes became her first clients. I assume that the Sussexes will have Meredith Maines as their own in-house head of comms, and Maines will liaise with Hansen’s firm on bigger projects. I find the timing especially odd – to bring in someone new *just* as Meghan’s show is about to premiere and just a few months before the As Ever brand goes to market? I wish Maines had been given more of a head start as it appears that 2025 will be a busy season for Meghan, and maybe Harry as well, if he’s about to branch out into other businesses or brands.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- The opening ceremony of the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 08 Feb 2025 Credit: INSTARimages
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- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attend the opening ceremony of the 2025 Invictus Games Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 08 Feb 2025 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- The opening ceremony of the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 08 Feb 2025 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend wheelchair basketball at the Vancouver Convention Centre during the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 09 Feb 2025 Credit: INSTARimages
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- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend wheelchair basketball at the Vancouver Convention Centre during the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver Featuring: JJ Chalmers, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 10 Feb 2025 Credit: INSTARimages
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- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex at Wheelchair Curling in Hillcrest Recreation Centre during Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 09 Feb 2025 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex at Wheelchair Basketball in Vancouver Convention Centre during Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 09 Feb 2025 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Prince Harry attending the wheelchair basketball bronze medal final at the Vancouver Convention Centre during the 2025 Invictus Games Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 13 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke of Sussex attending the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 15 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
I think that with all that happened with the Sussexes while in the institution left a very sour taste in their mouths, especially Harry because he was the scapegoat already, that at the time of their freedom they wanted to bury their heads in the sand. I think now that they have had some years and some comfort they are willing to go all out and have their own in house comms to deal with whatever comes. I think they have healed to a greater extent and have found people they can truly trust to represent them as they want to be represented.
Susan, I agree with you 100%. I can’t imagine the trauma they’ve had to overcome after what happened in the UK. I’m sure Spare only covered part of it. As anyone who has ever been in an abusive relationship will attest, it takes years to recover. And Harry and Meghan were in an abusive relationship with the BRF and the media. It takes time to heal and I’m glad they are well on the path to recovery.
It sounds to me like these people have been brought in to work on Meghan’s and Harry’s business dealings rather than Archewell Productions and Foundation or their personal office. Ashley did an interview last week where she explained why they don’t respond to everything that the tabloids and other news outlets write.
@amy bee – do you have a link or a name for that? I’d like to read it but didn’t find anything recent when I googled.
Thanks !
I think it was a podcast and not a print interview. I saw clips of it on some of the Sussex squad accounts.
Here’s the link. 🙂
https://dearmedia.com/meghan-markle-ashley-hansen/
@LISSEN, thank you so much for that link. Took away a lot from Ashley’s words.
“Not every lie deserves a response.”
Prioritize peace over proof: “Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?
The goal isn’t universal approval—it’s peace.”
Ideally i would have loved to see her before POLO even aired but regardless, I am so happy to see that things are really falling i to place in Camp Sussex.
I think it might also have to do with financial security. Once you lose that security, it’s hard to ever trust it again regardless of how much you are making. They may just be more willing to spend the money on a top of the line professional than they were before.
In addition to the several things already mentioned, I’d add, both of their children are now older (in a few months, Archie will be 6 and Lili 4), so if their day to day life is more predictable, likely more flexibility to plan and do more.
Some time ago I listened to an interview with Ari Emmanuel, the head of WWE, and he said that he didn’t believe in answering back to incorrect stories so it’s possible that the Sussex’s were basing their responses on his advice. While I don’t agree that they need to answer back in all situations, the Bill Simmons nastiness certainly warranted a clap back. I think it’s important that we remember that the Sussex’s have been through a devastating period of their lives and while we might feel that they should have “healed and moved forward” some time ago, we’re not them so they can take the time they need and handle their business, personally and professionally, the way they see fit.
Their close family friend, Tyler Perry, said the same thing in a conference after all that Spotify guy bullsh*t. It is obvious this is the advice they are getting from both their close friends and business partners. Don’t engage in back and forth with people like that and focus on your work. Some people might disagree, but they are listening to the people they trust. I imagine, Harry would love to reply to them otherwise. We read the Spare, he kept a note about every lie told about him since he was a child. That guy doesn’t forget.
For all we know, perhaps there WAS a clapback to that Simmons prat. He never mentioned their names again after that, did he? And weren’t people at Spotify who were afraid of the spotlight being placed on them suddenly over-eager to explain THEIR points of view (yet paint themselves as victims), without the vitriol of the original prat? It’s the UK media and places like Page 6 which kept the story alive, but reputable papers gave that story a wide berth. As Ashley Hansen said, people will believe what they want to believe and no amount of explaining and demonstrating the truth will make a difference. And look what happened: people who were not derangers immediately wondered why he was so angry if he was glad to see the back of them. Spotify made it hard for them to remain but actually didn’t want them to leave. Go figure. I think they handled it well by not publicly responding. Any paper who brings it up as a slap against H+M immediately reveals their obvious agenda.
This is a very good point. We haven’t heard much about this beyond the tabloids using it and would he go on the record now to claim that statement? Also, while we are seeing Maines will be starting this week, she has probably been on board and getting oriented a bit longer than that. These things don’t just happen overnight.
I actually like the way they’ve handled their communications. Giving the gutter press ANYTHING is like minting money for those azzholes . They should never “answer back” or “correct the narrative”. Once a year or so they should release a statement reminding the press and Harry’s trash family that they still have the receipts from their time in that prison.
THIS. By not responding, they enabled the trash to take themselves out, repeatedly, and reveal their arses in front of the whole world – gaining H+M even more fans than before, from people who are definitely not royalists and weren’t even following the abuse from the start.
They have also starved the media hacks of “new” information which they could recycle for months to earn their chump change from clicks. That, to me, is really powerful. Few people now say “if it weren’t true then they would respond”. Most sensible assume that the people who always lie about them are still lying. Even the ones who got some access at some points (see Hello and People and US Weekly and Newsweek and Marie Claire, etc.) have form for writing supposedly factual pieces which even fans claim are positive, despite the fact that there has usually been the usual snark and tabloid lies baked into the articles with no acknowledgement that the assumptions were lies or based on lies to begin with.
Im taking it as a sign big things are coming…🤞🏼🙏🏼 I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for With Love, Meghan.. I apologize for my lack of patience, but I am grateful for Meghan’s IG posts they have been a a joy to watch in the meantime.
Yes we all need something fun and life enhancing to look forward to. The glimpse of Lili and Auntie together was adorable!
It sure was adorable, and you’re right we all do need something joyful and fun to watch. Can’t wait until Tuesday 🤗
That was fun! Another glimpse of Lili 😊
I loved Meg’s teak wood coffee table (I’m on the hunt for one myself, to match my mom’s buffet piece I’m refinishing). With a bit of sleuthing, I found it on Arhaus, which is where I got my new sofa and LR chairs: it’s the Kalmar Coffee Table for $3,099.00. While that one is too large for my space ( it’s 55″/67″), I found ANOTHER puzzle teak wood coffee table, 31x 47″ that’d fit *perfectly* in my space, and go with my own piece: Teak Slice Coffee Table, Rectangle Phillips Collection, $1,999.00.
I can’t wait to see what my decorator thinks of the piece!
@jan90067 that table is gorgeous.. I’m glad you found one that works for you.
I can’t believe it’s finally almost here. On Tuesday! I expect it’ll be cute and fun.
2 yrs ago on March 4th my dad passed. It’s lovely to have something to celebrate on the 4th instead.
Sorry for your loss Jan but glad you’ll have something to bring you some cheer!
I grow weary of every time I hear people say they need to push back on the negative stories. They are dealing with classic narcissistic tactics. The monarch is the narcissist, the heir the golden child, the spare the scapegoat and the invisible child is everyone else. Engaging a narcissist with facts, or arguments or anything else means you have already lost. The BM engages in classic DARVO behavior on behalf of the monarchy. It is a no win scenario for them.
The only true way to get out from under a narcissist safely is to grey rock them. Which they can’t do totally because they are very interesting to the world and therefore the BRF can’t forget about them. But taking them on is dangerous (see Princess Diana the only true Princes of Wales). They have to swim in shark waters. The BM is trying their best to inspire a deranged person kill them, the less they engage the less attention is brought on them. I don’t believe the BRF is above having them killed out of spite. I also am very suspicious of the fire in Africa in Archie’s nursery and the subsequent cover up by the BM. This is some scary stuff.
Being authentic is another turn off to narcissist. They can’t stand it and H&M are now living their authentic selves.
If you answer one claim then you have to answer all of them otherwise it gives the appearance that it’s true. The BM would be ecstatic to engage in communications wars. It would be their dream come true. Also they will begin to look petty.
Other than Polo, they have promoted their ventures IMO. I think Meghan is going all out for her WLM series and AE products.
They are incredibly brave for what they do put out there. Just because it’s hard for us to hear all the lies doesn’t mean they have to put themselves in danger.
I broadly agree with everything you said. I also read the article write up by Ashley that Amy Bee mentioned up thread and was interested to read that she said they are very in tune with everything that’s being said. Mentioning that they are looking at quora, and Redditt and everything in between. So I don’t think they’re burying their heads in the sand as much as they are looking at everything from a much different perspective than we are.
My impression that I received was that they look at it from a point of view of how much of this is litigious, how much of this is detrimental to business, and how much if this can we push back on without getting into a back and forth. Then I think they are using actual data to see how pervasive a lot of this is, and go from there.
I think as fans sometimes we might be a little too dialed in, and presume because we see stuff that the general public is also internalizing it in the same way. It sounded from that article like Ashley was basically saying there’s always going to be a contingent of people that don’t like Meghan or Harry for whatever reason and trying to convince them is a waste of your time. It sounds like they have a strategy even if we aren’t always onboard with it, because they’re using more information than we are privy to on the outside.
I’m glad to see though that what they’ve seen to have taken from all of this is, no I’m not going to respond to every single thing because it’s not worth my time , but I’m also not going to be completely quiet. I’m just going to move like me and either you’re going to move with me or you’re not.
I agree with everything you said here. Countering only brings more negative attention, more for the bm to write about. They claimed M lied about the fire. What’s the point in dealing with what’s said? Plus they said categorically they won’t be engaging with the tabloid press.
I’m sort of in the middle on this one. On the one hand I agree they shouldn’t respond to all the nonsense from the tabloid & UK media – which as so many have said is designed to provoke a response. On the other hand the promotion of their actual ventures and managing that message could’ve been a lot better for sure…
They fled at the start of a global pandemic. The Windsors spent years at that point deliberately cultivating public hate towards Meghan. The Sussexes were just grateful to be out of the fish bowl in the UK once they got their financials and housing situated. Harry probably automatically associates publicists with the grey men and wanted to leave that behind in his new life. He gave his perspective in Spare, interviews and the documentaries and that is what he wanted out in the public domain. It also defies comprehension that Harry/Meghan are still such tabloid targets in the UK. They left 5 years ago and are not on the taxpayer payer funded dole. They have never pulled disappearing stunts, no showed for announced appearances, appeared intoxicated at events, flashed photographers, used their stressed looking kids as buffers/for good press and posted abominations like the scarecrow pic, Frankenphoto and the Victorian cosplay birthday pics. Harry underestimated how spiteful and obsessive Willy is towards him. It is going to be entertaining seeing KP schooled in PR by someone besides Camilla.
There seems daily smears and lies against Harry and Meghan from the BM and Royal Family through the media, and their combined troll farms. Obviously, Harry and Meghan’s staff have kept track of everything so they have a record and receipts. Who knows what might be done with all this info in the future. They are obviously invested in the long game- they cannot afford not to in order to ensure their own futures and that of their children. Surely someone is studying all of this, and history will be written even if there might not be an explosive expose in the near future. They have more balls in the air than most of us in a couple of lifetimes. We aren’t privy to their longterm plans.
I think Meghan’s Netflix show is being vigorously promoted- Megan returning to instagram, Netflix trailers, Time Square. I don’t think she needs a media saturation to get eyeballs. It immediately follows Oscar night- the last award show, which seems pretty good timing. So looking forward to enjoying Meghan’s series in a couple of days!
I wouldn’t be surprised if Ted Sarandos recommended that they get an in house person. I don’t think they will bother with the daily fail churn overseas, but some of this is creeping across the ocean and I believe that is what they will be addressing, especially if it is linked to their business and charitable endeavours.
For instance, they won’t comment on jam wars, but maybe address the trademark stuff.
I’m really curious to see who the suppliers are for As Ever, because I doubt Meghan is stitching up aprons in her back room or has pots of jam constantly on the stove (well, maybe she makes the ones for her friends). The original name, American Riviera Orchards, made me think she was, at least in part, looking to be aligned with artisan/specialty producers in her area, like Clevr (see also the history of Cowgirl Creamery in Sonoma, one of those women worked at Chez Panisse). That would be her style, as she did promoting that bracelet made by a small company in Philly, or the sweatshirt from one in Chicago. An interesting BTS story would counteract the silly jam stories originating – over there.
It’s true that it’s pointless to change the mind of people determined to hate you, and you can’t address every lie that comes out, but it’s important to provide an alternate narrative for what’s likely the majority of people who don’t really know them apart from past history. And that may be one reason for the new hire. Five years down the road, tired stories still being peddled by the RF and BM look like just that to anyone not a determined troll – tired. Meghan’s doing a great job with her IG account and in the past couple of years, H&M have occasionally given stories to selected US media that show who the two of them are, now. Really looking forward to Tuesday…
I’m thinking that the new team may also be gearing up to tackle the derangers’ and KP bots’ repeated review-bombing of anything H+M put out. They are going to protect their business interests to the max.
I agree that H&M have not done as much as they could in regard to comms, and a more proactive comms lead is a good idea. The relatively low level of promotion for their projects and almost total lack of pushback on negative press almost feels like a PTSD reaction they’re having to the hyperventilation of the BM/RF toward anything they do, and may also be a holdover from the odd (and ineffective) way the monarchy does their own PR. While I agree that it’s a bad idea to play tit-for-tat on every accusation from BM/RF, I’d love to see them do more positive press for their own projects, and I think Meghan’s made a great start with that by reviving her delightful Instagram. Even though they’re not repping the royals anymore, they’re still making their living as public figures, and as such, they need to grow and cultivate their audience. Would be nice to see Harry get more on board with that, though I’d bet he is instinctively against it based on his royal upbringing and his trauma through the media’s harassment of himself, his mother, and his wife. He’s lived through the worst things that public celebrity can bring. But celebrity can also bring good things too, and I think the American public would love to embrace him if he can come out of his shell a bit more and control his own narrative. Best wishes to them both, can’t wait for the show.
Harry did plenty of promotion of spare, and he does TV and sit downs for invictus. He also does a number of on stage appearances and speaks pretty openly. I don’t see him hiding in his shell? The only thing he didn’t promote much was polo.
With W&K , they are completely ineffective without their massive retinue of support staff . Is there one thing they can achieve on their own ? If they had to contend with losing their titles and are forced to make an honest living , they would be orphans of the storm , totally useless and helpless . H&M on the other hand have skills , have worked and earned ,and are not sitting around for hand outs . They have so much to offer so it’s good to delegate the paperwork and so forth to free up more time for real work ..not the hand flapping mumbling, grinning exhibitions we see from Kate Middleton ..what a pathetic figure she cuts trying to keep up . She can’t hold a candle to the simplest scullery maid ..if those exist ..those girls work .
It is difficult to do “positive press” for your projects if large swathes of the media are owned or controlled or syndicated by the people who have been harassing and abusing you for years. Their positive press is on their sussex.com website. The facts about most of their engagements are there. Yes, they sometimes give interviews or statements to some media, but several of those (I mentioned a few above) have repeatedly parroted tabloid lies and adopted and pushed the lying narratives of the originators in the UK media. I applaud them for largely being their own mouthpieces and for ensuring that people get the details from them, not “sources close to” or “a friend of” the way the others do. Why should they reward the people who collaborated to push her to such a low point in the past?
This is good news. Now that it’s clear that the British vipers won’t quit, hire someone who can counter the BS.
They really are doing the most since Meghan’s first instagram post Jan.1st.