Meredith Maines has resigned as the Sussexes' director of communications. The couple continues to grapple with new employee issues.
Meredith Maines, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's communications director, has (already) resigned from her official role, but, People reports, she will remain in the position until early 2026 to support her (currently unnamed) successor. Maines was appointed the Sussexes' communications director about ten months ago.
The couple announced her hiring on February 28. Maines oversaw communications for the couple's nonprofit activities, as well as business ventures related to the foundation's public visibility.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes confirmed the staff changes: "Meredith Maines has concluded her work with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. They are grateful for her contributions and wish them well." Maines also shared a statement, saying, "After a year of inspiring work with Prince Harry and Meghan, I will be taking on a new opportunity in 2026. I have the utmost gratitude and respect for the couple and the team, and for the good they are doing in the world."
Maines' departure comes amid ongoing turnover within the family's communications team. She is one of several publicists who have departed the couple since they left the royal family and moved to the United States in 2020. In 2024, global spokesperson Ashley Hansen resigned after two years to launch her own consulting firm. Earlier this summer, three communications staff members—including Charlie Gipson, based in the UK, and Kyle Boulia, based in California—also left their positions.
Emily Robinson, who previously worked for Netflix and was appointed director of communications, left the position in October 2025 after just four months. Maines collaborated with Method Communications, the external agency responsible for supporting Meghan and Harry's communications efforts, and primarily handled Markle's public relations. According to People, the couple has already chosen the press agency that will represent them in the United States from 2026 onward.
Maines was photographed earlier this year with King Charles's communications director, Tobyn Andreae, at a private club in London's Mayfair. Their communications managers saw the meeting as a potential moment of rapprochement between father and son. This occurred months before the brief meeting last September between Prince Harry and his father, Charles III.
