Meghan and Harry cutting staff to save cash: report
IN LONDON
Prince Harry and Meghan's decision to part ways with their communications team was part of a cost-saving measure, according to a new report.
The couple's staffing woes were again in the spotlight recently following reports six more members of their team had departed. Among them was Charlie Gipson, their European communications director, and Kyle Boulia, their LA-based deputy press secretary, who were let go after barely a year on the job.
The Sun reported at the time that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had blamed them for failing to counter a spate of negative media coverage.
However, according to Page Six, financial worries may have played a bigger role – with the publication adding that the tally of staff who have either resigned or been fired since they branched out on their own in 2020 actually around 25.
'It's the same old story – they cycle through staff as quickly as normal people cycle through toilet paper. Milk lasts longer than their employees,' a source told Page Six.
Meghan and Harry at Beyoncé's LA concert earlier this year. Picture: Instagram
They've reportedly been looking for ways to cut back on costs, according to a new report. Picture:for TIME
It's also understood that Harry and Meghan's multimillion-dollar Netflix deal will expire this year. At the time it was signed, it was estimated to be worth around $100 million – although sources have since put that number closer to $20 million. Either way, the streaming service is now prioritising 'first look deals' rather than exclusive contracts, and therefore a new agreement could be worth significantly less for the couple, who have enormous overheads including the mortgage on their Montecito mansion, annual security and also staffing costs.
Last month, when the Sussex team changes came to light, the UK's Telegraph claimed that, in total, six employees had left or been fired recently.
Along with Gipson and Boulia, it reportedly included the head of operations at Archewell, Lianne Cashin, Archewell's director of communications, Deesha Tank, and Meghan's social media manager, who was reportedly already gone prior to her posting her viral dance video on Instagram.
According to The Sun, Harry and Meghan have now employed a team from the US-based Method Communications and hired Emily Robinson – who previously looked after publicity for Netflix's The Crown – as their new director of communications.
A former employee of Bill Gates, Sarah Fosmo, is Meghan's new chief of staff.
Harry and Meghan's chief communications officer, Meredith Maines, told The Sun the staffing overhaul was about providing better 'access'.
'Transitioning from a team of two to an agency support staff of eight, operating across five different time zones, will give international media and stakeholders better access,' she said in a statement.
However, the story inevitably reignited previous allegations of Meghan's management style, with an unflattering Vanity Fair article earlier this year painting her as a ruthless boss.
One ex-staffer compared Meghan to a 'Mean Girls teenager', and described working on her Archetypes podcast as 'really, really awful' and 'very painful'.
Others described 'taking extended breaks' to 'escape scrutiny' or 'undergoing long-term therapy' after working with her.
Both Harry and Meghan have strenuously denied allegations of poor behaviour toward staff in the past.
Originally published as Meghan and Harry cutting staff to save cash: report
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