Latest news with #DukeAndDuchess
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's move to save cash amid luxe lifestyle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly laid off a number of employees in an effort to save cash amid their luxury lifestyle. According to Page Six, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have cut ties with their PR team. The move comes after several other employees left, including their two in-house reps. The outlet reported up to 25 staff members have either exited or been cut since the royal couple relocated to the US in 2020, with some departures not yet publicised. The Sussexes' Netflix deal – reported to be worth up to $US100 million ($A152 million), though sources say it's actually closer to $US20 million ($A30 million) – is also set to expire this year. '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 royal source told Page Six. It is not known whether Harry and Meghan are experiencing financial problems, despite their hit docu-series, 'Harry & Meghan,' and Meghan's Netflix show, 'With Love, Meghan'. But the couple has less success with documentaries 'Heart of Invictus' and 'Polo'. The streaming giant is reportedly now prioritising 'first look' deals rather than overall exclusive contracts, which means they could re-sign for significantly less money than their current deal. This could prove a headache for the pair, who have a heap of expenses – from travelling to an annual security bill believed to be around $US2 million ($A3 million). According to Page Six, the Sussexes splashed out $US14.65 million ($A20.9 million) on their home after moving to the US – it's now believed to be worth around $US27 million ($A41 million). Deeds showed they took out a $US9.5 million ($A14.5 million) mortgage to be paid back, plus interest, by the year 2050, indicating they put down a $US5 million ($A7 million) deposit. They also have to pay a huge yearly property tax of $US288,000 ($A439,000). They also foot the bill for their staff in communications alongside their personal office, the Archewell Foundation, production, as well as employees at their estate in Montecito, Calfornia. The Sussexes also pay for a portion of their 'faux foreign tours', which have seen them visit Nigeria and Colombia. Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, have now lost hardworking Kyle Boulia, their Los Angeles-based deputy press secretary, and Charlie Gipson, who had been serving as the couple's European communications director. They also lost Deesha Tank, Archewell's director of communications and Lianne Cashin, formerly head of operations at Archewell. Markle's social manager and a personal assistant, who have not been named, have also departed. Meredith Maines remains the couple's chief communications officer after coming on board in February after their last PR boss, Ashley Hansen, left to start her own consultancy firm. The only other in-house rep is Emily Robinson who, ironically, worked on Netflix royal drama 'The Crown'. Maines has also hired a team from Method Communications to help. 'As the Duke and Duchess's business and philanthropic interests grow, I have made the strategic decision to move toward a more traditional communications structure of specialist agency support,' Ms Maines said in a statement. '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, and critically, faster response times to inquiries,' she added. 'In a financial sense, it's cheaper to employ a PR firm, as opposed having to full-time staff,' an industry expert said. There have, of course, been a myriad of reports that Harry, and Meghan are not exactly the easiest to work with. Insiders told us the couple was infuriated and upset by an unflattering Vanity Fair cover story in January, which claimed Meghan could be cold and withholding to staffers at the drop of a dime if 'something went poorly'. It was 'really, really, really awful. Very painful,' an unnamed staff member who worked with Markle on media projects alleged, as another said she would throw employees 'to the wolves'. 'It was unfair, what could their staff truly do about it?' said a source in the know of the VF story, 'the sources were anonymous and things could not be refuted'. The Sussexes were also unhappy with a Hollywood Reporter exposé last September which claimed 'everyone's terrified of Meghan,' regarding her staff. A source added, 'She belittles people, she doesn't take advice. They're both poor decision-makers, they change their minds frequently. 'Harry is a very, very charming person — no airs at all — but he's very much an enabler. And she's just terrible.' Multiple sources told Page Six Harry was furious at the story and desperate to protect his wife, pushing his staff to work on a US Weekly cover story quoting former staffers saying they had loved working for the pair. Alongside this, Harry and Meghan's former communications secretary Jason Knauf famously filed an official complaint in 2018, accusing the mom-of-two of bullying her staff at Buckingham Palace. In emails leaked to the Times of London, he claimed the former 'Suits' star drove two personal assistants out and undermined the confidence of a third staff member. A Sussex rep hit back, saying, 'Let's just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation', while Markle's lawyer, Jenny Afia, later told the BBC: 'What bullying actually means is improperly using power, repeatedly and deliberately to hurt someone physically or emotionally. 'The Duchess of Sussex has absolutely denied doing that. That said, she wouldn't want to negate anyone's personal experiences.' The results of the palace's probe have never been made public, but Knauf, who is now the CEO of the Earthshot Prize, launched by Harry's brother Prince William, recently told '60 Minutes Australia,' he 'wouldn't change a thing' about raising his concerns. Meghan debuted her rosé wine on Tuesday, on what would have been Princess Diana's 64th birthday, a move which did not go unnoticed by fans and royal experts. 'A source close to the royal household told me, it's not lost on Prince William that Meghan has launched an alcohol brand on his mother's birthday, the very mum he lost in a drink-driving tragedy,' royal reporter Kinsey Schofield told The Sun. Harry, meanwhile, is concentrating on his philanthropic endeavours – and trying to mend fences with his estranged family, including his cancer-stricken father, King Charles. In May, he spoke out yet again about his family rift after losing his fight for government-funded security for his family in the UK. 'I would love reconciliation with my family,' Harry told the BBC, 'There's no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has.' The Telegraph reported there are some moves within the palace to bring Harry and Charles together, claiming that Harry, Markle and their two children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, are being included within Charles' funeral plans. Regardless of what happens with their Netflix deal, a TV producer told us, 'I can see Meghan's show coming back for a third season, easily. People just love to hate her.'
CNN
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex posts rare video of her children for Father's Day
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has posted a Father's Day video showing her husband, Prince Harry, playing with the couple's two children. The footage, posted on Instagram on Sunday, features a mixture of photos and videos, including one in which the duke is seen dancing with son Archie in his arms. Another clip shows Harry teaching Archie to ride a bike while daughter Lilibet runs behind them. The duchess captioned the post: 'The best. Happy Father's Day to our favorite guy 💕' The couple have been known to guard their children's privacy closely, but, while the children are only seen from behind in many of the clips and photos, others clearly show their faces. This is the latest sign of a change in approach from the family, as Meghan has recently made a series of posts featuring 6-year-old Archie and 4-year-old Lilibet. For example, on June 4, Lilibet's birthday, she shared rare photos of the little girl. In one black-and-white picture, Meghan can be seen cuddling Lilibet, whose face is partially visible behind her mother's hand and arm. A second image shows Meghan cradling Lilibet, whose face is visible in profile, shortly after her birth. A separate post features two photos of Prince Harry with his daughter, with the caption: 'The sweetest bond to watch unfold. Daddy's little girl and favorite adventurer.' The couple did release a Christmas card last year that featured a photo of both children, but their backs are to the camera as they run toward their parents. Five other images appeared on the card, taken throughout the year. It marked the first time since 2021 that Harry and Meghan released a Christmas card featuring their children.
Telegraph
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Sussexes part ways with six more staff
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have parted ways with six more members of their ever-evolving team, The Telegraph understands. Kyle Boulia, the couple's Los Angeles-based deputy press secretary, and Charlie Gipson, their European communications director, have both left. Lianne Cashin, former head of operations at Archewell, has also gone just a month after a Sussex spokesman described her as 'exceptional' and said she exemplified the 'strength and vision' of the Duke and Duchess Meanwhile, Deesha Tank, director of communications at Archewell, has left, as has a personal assistant and Meghan's social media manager. The changes come after the Duke's BBC interview, in which he railed against his father and complained of an 'establishment stitch-up' after losing his security appeal against the Government. The interview is not thought to have gone down well at Buckingham Palace. However, one source told The Telegraph that the writing was on the wall for certain members of staff following the publication of an excoriating profile of the couple in Vanity Fair in January. The article alleged that several people underwent 'long-term therapy' or took extended breaks from work after working with the Duchess, while Prince Harry was portrayed as a naive, lonely figure who has failed to make any friends in the US. The social media manager is understood to have left before the Duke and Duchess released the extraordinary video of them twerking in a hospital delivery room. The footage, taken as they awaited the birth of their daughter, Princess Lilibet, was published on the Duchess's Instagram page earlier this month and was met with a mixture of incredulity and amusement. Last month, it emerged that the Sussexes had retained a team from Method Communications to bolster their PR operation, suggesting that they were unhappy with the way things had previously been managed. The couple have also recently hired Emily Robinson, a new director of communications, who oversaw publicity for The Crown among other shows while working as a senior publicity director at Netflix. The Duchess has hired Sarah Fosmo, who previously worked for Bill Gates, as her first chief of staff, while Prince Harry has promoted Miranda Barbot to be his chief of staff. Meredith Maines, who was appointed as the couple's first chief communications officer in February, has overseen many of the recent changes. She said of the departure of Mr Boulia and Mr Gipson barely a year after they were hired: 'As the Duke and Duchess's business and philanthropic interests grow, I have made the strategic decision to move toward a more traditional communications structure of specialist agency support. '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, and critically, faster response times to enquiries.' The Duchess is now focused on the expansion of her As Ever brand, although she has given seemingly contradictory statements in recent weeks about her plans. She told Fast Company magazine that she was not intending to announce any new products until the first quarter of 2026, adding on her own podcast that she was pressing 'pause' on the development of the business until it was 'completely stable'. The Duchess then promptly announced on Instagram that her fans' 'favourite' products would be returning this month, alongside 'a few new things' that she could not wait to show off.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE RICHARD EDEN: Prince Harry and Meghan have dropped their biggest hint yet about a return to royal life
Much of what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have said and done since quitting Britain five years ago has astonished members of the Royal Household. These include their accusations of racism against unnamed members of the family in their Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021 and Meghan's recent posting of a video that showed her 'twerking' in the maternity ward before the birth of their second child, Lilibet.
News.com.au
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Meghan Markle shares never-before-seen footage for Lilibet's fourth birthday
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released never-before-seen footage from a maternity ward to celebrate their daughter Lilibet's fourth birthday. Meghan Markle shared on Instagram that Lilibet was past her due date, and she was trying to dance her along. In Meghan Markle's Instagram post, she wrote: 'When spicy food, all that walking, and acupuncture didn't work – there was only one thing left to do.'
