The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have created their own ‘royal’ household, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The couple, who left their roles as senior royals in 2020, have dramatically revamped the structure of their staff to make it more like the hierarchical system that has successfully underpinned Prince Harry‘s family for decades.
Meredith Kendall Maines, a seasoned communications strategist whose role has already drawn comparisons with Sir Clive Alderton, the formidable Private Secretary to King Charles and Queen Camilla, will be at the helm of a team of 11, operating out of Montecito, California, and the UK.
The new operation will be run separately to Archewell, the Sussexes’ philanthropic foundation.
The MoS can reveal the restructuring, which will see each senior appointee reportedly earning a six-figure salary, will include:
- The duke and duchess each having their own chief of staff;
- Harry launching his own as-yet-undisclosed commercial venture in the next few months;
- Meghan’s lifestyle business, As Ever, expanding its range of products later this year.
The duke, 40, is said to have been growing increasingly weary of the negative publicity he and Meghan have attracted, particularly in the UK where he has been fighting several legal cases over his privacy and security.
The couple, who celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary last week, are said to be keen to rehabilitate their reputations after several damaging blows to their popularity in poll ratings.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have created their own ‘royal’ household, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The couple have revamped the structure of their staff to make it more like the hierarchical system that has successfully underpinned Prince Harry ‘s family for decades
Meredith Kendall Maines is the Chief Communications Officer for the Sussex household, overseeing all strategic messaging and brand alignment. Previously worked at Lightspeed Venture Partners, advising start-ups in the fintech, AI and consumer sectors
Sarah Fosmo is Meghan’s chief of staff, who will work with the Duchess on her commercial and charitable ventures. A former aide to Bill Gates, she brings expertise in philanthropic and corporate strategy from her work in global impact organisations
In Prince Harry’s case, he deepened the rift with his father, King Charles, during a BBC interview earlier this month following his failed court bid to reinstate his UK security, claiming the decision was a ‘good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up’.
Meanwhile, critics of Meghan, 43, have described her latest business and broadcasting projects as ‘unrelatable’ and ‘out of touch’.
Last night a source told this newspaper: ‘A Royal Household-style structure will give them both a streamlined framework that has been missing since they left the Royal Family.
‘The recent polling showing that [Harry] is one of the lowest-regarded royals means he has at last conceded there’s nowhere to go but up.
‘There’s humility there. It’s time to streamline his operation and find a new way of getting his message across. Service above oneself is the cornerstone of everything he does.’
Previously, the Sussexes relied on informal advisers but the hope is that by following the same trusted methods as the monarchy they will be able to safeguard their reputation and build their business and philanthropic interests.
One of the first tasks of the operation will be to mastermind the launch of Harry’s own commercial venture as he attempts to find new ‘purpose’ after stepping away from his African charity, Sentebale, amid bullying accusations by its chair.
Charlie Gipson reports to senior comms leads Liam Maguire and Kyle Boulia after serving as the Sussexes’ press officer. Previously employed by Mars and Pedigree Chum, he has experience in brand communication and corporate PR
Erin Grant is hired from Method Communications, a Silicon Valley PR firm that works with tech ‘disruptors’. She will act as a liaison between the household and Meghan’s As Ever lifestyle brand. She specialises in ‘brand storytelling’ and consumer engagement
While it is understood the prince will continue to focus on the Invictus Games Foundation, he is also said to have ‘commercial ideas of his own’ – the details of which will be revealed later this year.
A source said: ‘Harry is unkindly described as the ‘spare’ to Meghan’s endeavours.
‘In reality, he has been giving her the space to flourish. Now it is his time to throw himself into exciting new work.
‘Invictus will always come first, but he has also been working on commercial ideas of his own.’
The new household will also help steer Meghan’s business, As Ever, as it prepares to launch new products alongside its sold-out range of jams and teas.
Reporting directly to Ms Maines will be Meghan and Harry’s two new chiefs of staff.
Miranda Barbot, a veteran political and media adviser who helped re-elect US President Barack Obama in 2012, will work solely for Harry.
First hired by the Sussexes in 2022, she is already a trusted hand and masterminded their successful three-day trip to Nigeria last year, which was said to have been ‘controlled skilfully’.
Casey Adams will work closely with the Sussexes to align their ‘brand narratives’ across philanthropic and commercial efforts, and support external communications for As Ever. Another Method Communications alumni, she is known for her social media campaigns
Miranda Barbot is a seasoned political and media strategist who now serves as Harry’s chief of staff. She played a key role in Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign and later led global communications for the couple’s Archewell organisation
Sarah Fosmo, a former aide to Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, will focus her efforts on supporting Meghan.
The 45-year-old, whose appointment was announced this month, will oversee a ‘dynamic period of growth’ for the duchess, who is rolling out another series of her Netflix lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, adding further products to As Ever and continuing to produce episodes for her podcast, Confessions Of A Female Founder.
Intriguingly, long-term aide James Holt, who featured in the couple’s Heart of Invictus Netflix docuseries, will not be a part of the new household but will remain in charge of Archewell.
Liam Maguire – who, like Harry, is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst – will take on a senior UK-based role, and will be the man in charge of the prince’s media relations at home.
Mr Maguire managed the press for the inaugural Invictus Games in London in 2014 and led the agency team which supported the Invictus Games Foundation in 2018. He also accompanied the couple on their first overseas royal tour to Australia the same year.
Charlie Gipson, previously a PR manager for Pedigree Chum and Mars and until recently the Sussexes’ primary UK press officer, will work alongside Mr Maguire under the restructure.
Liam Maguire will oversee the Sussexes’ media messaging and PR operations in the UK. The former Sandhurst graduate was part of the couple’s 2018 Royal tour to Australia and has also worked with Harry on Sentebale and Invictus Games events
Kyle Boulia transitioned from a role at Hollywood’s United Talent Agency to join Archewell. He is now part of the formal Sussex household, leading the senior communications team. He is an expert in brand partnerships and entertainment strategy
Mr Maguire’s counterpart in the United States will be Kyle Boulia, formerly of Hollywood’s United Talent Agency, who joined Archewell last year as its director of communications.
Since then he has quietly transitioned into working solely for the new Sussex household.
Elsewhere, three staff members – Clay Blackham, Erin Grant and Casey Adams – have been recruited from Method Communications, a Silicon Valley agency known for working with ‘challenger brands’, to serve as intermediaries between the Sussex household and As Ever.
As Ever is now run under the umbrella of the household by Melissa Kalimov, a branding expert previously with New York cold-brew coffee brand Rise.
It is understood that she is currently working to address delays in the supply chain after
all eight of Meghan’s debut products – including a boxed pancake mix, raspberry spread and edible flower sprinkles – sold out within an hour and have yet to be restocked.
A series of new projects and initiatives are also set to be rolled out in the months ahead.
Clay Blackham is a marketing strategist, also from Method Communications, now embedded in the Sussex household’s communications network. He will help to bridge the Sussexes’ messaging with the Duchess’s lifestyle brand
Melissa Kalimov is the new head of As Ever, working on ‘granular operations’, such as getting sold-out products back on shelves. Formerly with coffee brand Rise, she is also advising Harry on a new social enterprise commercial project
News of the changes comes after People magazine reported that the duchess is going through ‘a period of immense change and growth in her career’.
A source said: ‘With Love, Meghan has performed really
well and the Sussexes plan to continue growing their relationship with Netflix. There will be more As Ever products, projects and appearances to come from the Sussex household.’
The duke and duchess will no doubt hope it also eases longstanding scrutiny about their high staff turnover, which has seen multiple senior aides departing between 2018 and 2021.
One insider said: ‘The new household structure will help address this perception of ‘churn’.
‘From now on, there’ll be a fixed number of roles, clearly defined, just like the Royal Household. People will still come and go – that’s natural.’
Last night, a spokesman for the couple said: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have retained the support of Method Communications to support their growing business portfolio and philanthropic interests.
‘Serving as an extension of the Sussex communications team, led by chief communications officer Meredith Maines.’
